European Network of Health Care Chaplaincy

  Health Care Chaplaincy in Italy

2002 Standards Document in Italian

My name is Angelo Brusco. I am a catholic priest, belonging to a religious Order, The Servants of the Sick, which is present in 34 countries. I have spent 10 years in Canada (Québec) and 2 in the USA. In Canada and in the USA I had the opportunity to receive my education, earning degrees in psychology, theology and becoming supervisor in clinical pastoral education (CPE). I also practiced pastoral ministry in a general hospital in Québec City for 9 years, teaching CPE.

Back to Italy, I founded a Pastoral Institute in Verona. In 1989 I was elected Superior General of my Order for 12 years.

After that, I returned to Verona, where I now direct the Pastoral Institute "Centro Camilliano di Formazione", continuing my teaching in Rome, as a professor of pastoral psychology in the International Institute of Healthcare Pastoral Theology, "Camillianum" and of Pastoral theology of health care in the Faculty of theology in Padova.

I am involved in the life and activity of the Association, AIPAS (Italian Association of Health Care Ministry), which gathers all those who are doing chaplaincy work in health care institutions and publishes the magazine, "Insieme per servire".

Health Care chaplaincy in Italy

Health Care chaplaincy in Italy has a long and good tradition.
There is a very active National Office for the pastoral health care, in Rome, and an Italian Association of Health Care Ministry (AIPAS), started in 1987, which publishes a quarterly magazine: “Insieme per servire” (Together to serve).
The status of chaplain is recognized both by the Church and government. Chaplains – all priests - are authorised by the bishops and appointed by the administrations of the health care institutions. The economic treatment is satisfactory.
There is an effort to include deacons, sisters and lay people in chaplaincy; the results are good. In some regions and dioceses there are chaplaincy teams, formed by priests, sisters and lay people. In some of them, the sisters and lay people are paid by the administrations, in the others the non-ordained people work on a voluntary basis.
During the last 20 years, an important step forward has been taken in the area of formation. In Rome, there is an academic Institution, the "Camillianum", specialising in the area of health care ministry, with programmes at master and doctorate level. At a non-academic level there are many Pastoral Institutes.
A challenge – which is an opportunity of growth – is the ecumenical and inter-religious dialogue.
 

Fr Dr Angelo Brusco 
Director of Centro Camilliano di Formazione, Verona

[May 2008]