Religion and death: The clerical perspective

Abstract

This first descriptive report on the perspectives, experiences, and actions of clergy relative to terminal patients and their families details a highly emotionally charged complex of interactions. Some 276 clerics from fourteen different bodies provided information on their involvement in death-work, spiritual and personal resources, satisfactions and doubts, pastoral goals and purposes, and their background and outlooks regarding their own demise. Implications of these findings are explored with respect to various forms and contents of training and experience. Psychological versus spiritual roles are of special significance in clergy-patient-family relationships.

What Constitutes a Good Death?

“…Otherwise, the only literature discovered which relates to clergy is incidental to their own perspective on dying. A 'descriptive' report from 1981 outlines common themes gained from clergy speaking about their work with the dying but, only incidentally, their own outlooks regarding their own demise (Spilka, Spangler, Rea, & Nelson, 1981). In another article, clergy and social workers were compared in their understanding of the needs of the dying and a recommendation was made that they should be involved in palliative care planning (Nardi, Ornelas, Wright, & Crispell, 2001).…”