Meeting of the European Branch of the International Commission for Catholic Prison Pastoral Care

On March 5, 2021, a video conference of the European Branch of the International Commission for Catholic Prison Pastoral Care was held. The meeting of the Chief Chaplains of European countries was moderated by Dr. Ryan van Eyck, Chief Chaplain of the Roman Catholic Church in the Ministry of Justice and Security of the Netherlands, the leading European representative of the ICCPPC. The main speaker of the webinar was Fr. George Harrison (responsible for prison chaplaincy in the Roman Dicastery of Integral Human Development).

The content of the meeting was reflections on the continuation of prison ministry in the circumstances of the pandemic. Father George Harrison spoke briefly about the preparations in the dicastery for the Holy Father's visit to Iraq and about the challenges and opportunities for spiritual care. The chaplains presented the pastoral events in their countries and shared their experiences of quarantine restrictions.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated humanitarian crises and created significant human rights challenges. Nearly 11 million prisoners around the world are held in frequently overcrowded and unsanitary conditions, without access to adequate medical care and the opportunity to practice social distancing and proper hygiene. At the same time, in many countries, access to necessary pastoral support for prisoners and staff has been excessively difficult in prisons.

Father Harrison further noted the dicastery's significant efforts to ensure that an understanding of prison conditions and how criminal practices affect the global health crisis prompted solutions not only to ensure human rights and dignity during a pandemic, but to find alternatives to imprisonment.

The Epistle of the Holy Father Francis for Lent in 2021 was also read under the title: "Behold, we ascend to Jerusalem" (Mt 20:18). Lent: a time of renewal of faith, hope and love. The participants shared what inspired the message the most and what the "best way" to restore faith, hope and love in prisons, especially during this period of the Covid-19 pandemic. After mutual words of encouragement, the meeting ended with a joint prayer.

Penitentiary pastorate of the UGCC