Airport pastoral care
The Airport- or airport chaplain , also Airportchaplaincy is a special offer of Churches for travelers and employees at airports. In Germany alone there are eleven airports that have airport chaplaincy.
requirement
Not only after the severe fire at Düsseldorf Airport a few years ago or after the landing of passengers who had escaped the tsunami disaster in Southeast Asia, it became clear that not only direct victims of stressful events, but also their relatives urgently need help. This includes formal "first aid" in pastoral care, which, in addition to the classic first aid provided by doctors and employees of the aid organizations, takes care of the deeper questions. This includes u. a. the delivery of a stressful message, the interception of fears, the problem of saying goodbye, the care of children traveling alone from separation relationships, the range of emotional stresses before or after trips etc. - The care is provided by full-time (pastor / pastor) and guaranteed by volunteer airport chaplains who are trained accordingly.
This does not include contacting newly arrived asylum seekers. Other pastors are responsible for this, who specifically look after the traumatized, refugee experiences and problems, who are more familiar with the legal, social and psychological problems of refugees.
This may not replace intensive work by psychologists. On the other hand, it is important, in addition to intellectual reappraisal, to provide more in-depth - pastoral care - support for those affected where this is desired.