Catholic Chaplains in England and Wales have been ordered to follow the directives of hospital authorities in bringing sacraments to the sick and dying as the coronavirus pandemic continues.
The statement, issued on April 5, recognises that this may “run counter to our instinct to provide personal end-of-life sacramental and pastoral care”, given that some hospitals and NHS trusts may rule out person-to-person meetings in a bid to avoid further spread of the coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak.
Around the world, health authorities and governments are attempting to incorporate pastoral and spiritual care of patients and health staff, while respecting distancing to keep people safe. In the Church of England, at least one bishop has said hospital chaplains should not minister at the bedside of patients but help in other ways such as shopping.
Bishop Paul Mason, the lead for Health issues for the Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales, said that “minimising the spread of the virus must be the priority of all”. He also mentioned that “telephone support” would be a possible alternative to in-person counselling and the dispensation of the sacraments if current hospital rules were tightened.
The restrictions on contact with those sick or dying from the virus are likely to be greeted with controversy by some and relief by others; more than 90 priests and dozens of other religious have died of the coronavirus in Italy, many of whom were infected whilst tending to the dying.
The coronavirus pandemic has caused the deaths of 7097 UK residents, with more than 55,000 having tested positive for the virus. Several priests and religious are believed to be amongst the dead.
Speaking at an online press conference on Tuesday, the Archbishop of Birmingham and the Bishops of Salford and Arundel and Brighton spoke of the importance of hospital chaplains, and expressed their hope that the church’s ministry to the sick can continue even under the current restrictions.
Archbishop Bernard Longley confirmed that priests have been directed to respect hospital regulations, but added that the hospitals in his region have been continuing to admit chaplains. He also revealed that ten experienced chaplains from his diocese are preparing to serve patients at the new Nightingale Hospital built within the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham.
Bishop John Arnold, who is on lockdown alone in his Salford, added that although several chaplains in his diocese have gone into isolation due to their age, and finding replacements has been difficult, hospitals in his region have also been “very accommodating”. Bishop Arnold went on to praise the work of emergency services in his region, who he will be holding an online meeting with this week.
Archbishop Longley, who was appointed Archbishop of Birmingham in 2009, noted that the response of hospital trusts to the Church generally have been “very reassuring”. He asked Catholics to pray for the sick in the hospital, as well as volunteer and paid chaplaincy staff across the nation’s health service.
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