CEI national conference on pastoral care in health

“Wounded by pain, touched by grace. The pastoral care of health that generates good" was the theme of the XXI national conference on pastoral care in health which took place in Caserta from 13 to 16 May. The diocesan pastoral care managers, representatives of socio-health associations and entities, as well as experts, scholars, doctors and specialists from all over Italy took part. Compared to other areas of pastoral care, the "healthcare" one is very transversal and capable of gathering a broad commonality of views: pain affects everyone, it was said at the conference, and it poses important questions of meaning to everyone.

The main objective of the conference was to focus on the issue of the senses as tools of knowledge, diagnosis and treatment, closeness and accompaniment. “Touched by Grace”, the second part of the title, is not only to be understood in a spiritual sense, but also in a concrete, fully human sense: knowing how to “touch” the patient, being close to him, offering him company and assistance that makes him feel cared for and also respected and loved, despite his sometimes extreme fragility, as in the case of the dying.

In fact, explains the director of the National Office for the Pastoral Care of Health, Don Massimo Angelelli, after having addressed the theme of "sight" in 2018, through the dimension of the gaze, this year it is the turn of touch, of "touching" .