4 Jul 2005 - Concern about removal of religious symbols and sacred texts
Statement by the Chairman of the Multi-Faith Group for Healthcare Chaplaincy, Rabbi Martin van den Bergh (5 June 2005)
The Multi-Faith Group for Healthcare Chaplaincy brings together representatives from all the major faith communities concerned with chaplaincy and spiritual care services, together with the well established healthcare chaplaincy agencies.
We are most concerned at the recent reports of NHS trusts removing religious symbols and sacred texts of any particular faith. The Group, which was launched in 2003, was preceded by a Multi-Faith Working Party, has worked tirelessly together out of a sincere mutual regard and respect for one another to produce the NHS Chaplaincy Guidance. The Group acknowledges the support and encouragement of the Hospitals Chaplaincies Council of the Church of England Synod to promote and make room for the provision of Multi-Faith chaplaincy.
Provision of Multi-Faith chaplaincy and spiritual care services should not mean that representation of one particular faith should be removed; nor that "Multi-Faith" provision should mean any one particular faith. Rather provisions, services and facilities should be made available that are appropriate to the Multi-Faith, Multi-Cultural society we live in, and it should be sensitive and patient-centred.
The Multi-Faith Group for Healthcare Chaplaincy brings together representatives from all the major faith communities concerned with chaplaincy and spiritual care services, together with the well established healthcare chaplaincy agencies.
We are most concerned at the recent reports of NHS trusts removing religious symbols and sacred texts of any particular faith. The Group, which was launched in 2003, was preceded by a Multi-Faith Working Party, has worked tirelessly together out of a sincere mutual regard and respect for one another to produce the NHS Chaplaincy Guidance. The Group acknowledges the support and encouragement of the Hospitals Chaplaincies Council of the Church of England Synod to promote and make room for the provision of Multi-Faith chaplaincy.
Provision of Multi-Faith chaplaincy and spiritual care services should not mean that representation of one particular faith should be removed; nor that "Multi-Faith" provision should mean any one particular faith. Rather provisions, services and facilities should be made available that are appropriate to the Multi-Faith, Multi-Cultural society we live in, and it should be sensitive and patient-centred.