Hospital Chaplaincy during the Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The text deals with the experience of Czech hospital chaplains in 2020. Specifically, it concerns the period during the spring and autumn waves of the pandemic caused by the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus which leads to a viral disease known as covid-19. The article builds on data obtained through an online questionnaire and subsequent ten interviews with hospital chaplains. The results of the research are presented in four thematic blocks: chaplain and institutions, chaplain and staff, chaplain and patient, and the chaplain himself. Based on a qualitative analysis of the data, we conclude that the pandemic affected the self-concept of many chaplains. It mainly depended on their effectiveness, that is, the possibility of applying their skills, in the hospital during the pandemic. In many cases, the pandemic crisis has accelerated the development of relations with the institution and staff, for better or worse. The position of the chaplain in the hospital before the outbreak of the pandemic proved to be crucial. The work with patients themselves did not usually undergo a fundamental change; the chaplains often functioned here as a substitute for forbidden visits. At the end of the article, we present some practical recommendations resulting from our data.