Fear calls at munich telephone counselling service

adminonDecember 23, 2021January 27, 2022Leave a Comment

Fear calls at munich telephone counselling service

The whole of Munich was in a state of emergency last night – and that also applied to the telephone counselling service. Alexander Fischhold, head of the Catholic telephone counselling service in the Archdiocese of Munich-Freising, had to oversee the situation from Aachen and react accordingly.

our siteHow was the situation for you yesterday evening and during the night??

Alexander Fischhold, head of the Catholic telephone counselling service in the Archdiocese of Munich-Freising: For me personally, it was a bit difficult, because I am currently in Aachen, where the world congress of the telephone counselling service took place and today the 60th anniversary of the telephone counselling service is being celebrated. I tried to follow up on what had happened via the news and virtual media and contacted my colleagues at the telephone counselling service in Munich very early on to get an idea of what was going on. I noticed that the city was being sealed off more and more, which was also a massive problem for our volunteers at first, because they couldn’t get home from work and couldn’t get into the service. Of course, it was important for us to staff the telephone counselling service, especially on a night like this, which is bound to trigger fears and anxieties in many people. That was one part. The other: My family is in Munich. Of course I was also worried about my wife and my children… We don’t live too far from the scene of the incident, so it seemed quite close.

our siteHow did you as a telephone counsellor react to this situation and how was your offer accepted by the people??

FischholdSo I soon got in touch with a colleague in Munich and also discussed the matter with the head of the Protestant telephone counselling service, who is here in Aachen. We tried to motivate our neighboring locations in Augsburg, Ingolstadt, Passau and Rosenheim to bring in more people. Then we changed everything technically so that the calls from Munich could also be processed there, because we already had quite a high volume of calls. The calls were probably not all always very specifically indicated as to the occasion. But such a threatening situation triggers fears in our callers, many of whom are also mentally ill, fears that are not really tangible, but disturbing. The callers then need us even more than usual.

our siteYou just mentioned it: What are the concerns that people bring to you in this kind of situation??

FischholdThese are fears on the one hand: Can something happen there?? I have always expected this. On the other hand, we also get calls from people who graze in the right field and say: We have always known it. Or: Where will we end up with all these refugees?? They are simply fears that arise. I didn’t talk that much to my volunteers that night, because I didn’t want to burden them too much by always asking what was going on. What was reported to me, however, is that the threat has really come close and even if much was not concretely tangible – for many the threat to life and limb was palpable. One has noticed: The threat comes nevertheless close.

our siteHow difficult is it for the employees themselves, who first have to deal with the new and completely unfamiliar situation – not least with their own fear??

FischholdFor them it was as unclear as it is for all of us. The situation has become very unclear over the hours. Of course, it is important to know that we train our employees a lot in this context and thus try to keep their backs free. Particularly in the context of psychological trauma, we have already had training this year, so that they have already been able to deal with their own fears to some extent and we are also looking to ensure that they are really made fit and know: What can I do?? How to listen? What is important to callers at this moment? So, that the employees do not feel themselves incapable of acting, but that they really have the feeling: I can also be helpful and am not overwhelmed by it. This is an important aspect of it.

our site: As a Munich resident, what do you say about how the city should now get out of this state of shock?

FischholdWe Munichers here at the Kongfress in Aachen stood together yesterday and had a lot of fear that we would come back to a changed city. I hope, however, that it will not be like that and that panic and fear will not capture people completely, but that what makes Munich special – cordiality and warmth – will be preserved. Above all, I hope that even more mistrust will not develop toward the refugees, because in 99.9 percent of the cases, these are simply people who are in need and who come here because they have no prospects in their countries and because their lives are threatened. They are now no different from us. That is why I wish for solidarity and not for the situation to escalate.

The interview was conducted by Christian Schlegel.

In the recent terrorist act in London, police shot the three suspected assailants point blank. Capuchin monk Paulus Terwitte on ethical guidelines for dealing with terrorists.

Interviewer: Was the final rescue shot of the policemen justified?

Paulus Terwitte (media expert and Capuchin monk): I wasn’t there, but the phrase that human lives are to be protected applies. And if those who are in charge realize that the only way to eliminate those people who can threaten and perhaps even kill others is by firing a shot, then they are also obligated to prevent people from causing further evil by using their firearms.

Interviewer: But the explosive vests were only dummies, how do you deal with that?

Terwitte: You can only consult what you really know. Every police officer, I hope, is trained to look a little deeper than others and not just make amptions. But if the probability is very high that everything is real, then you have to act accordingly and take out the attackers. But nobody must be guided by such thoughts as "these are only terrorists and there one may calmly shoot at it". These people also have dignity, and this dignity obligates us to accurately assess the state of affairs.

Interviewer: Is it not an enormous burden for the police officers to decide in a split second about life and death of the terrorists??

Terwitte: This is a huge burden and police officers are also trained not to be guided by emotions. To keep a cool head in such situations, police officers need good training, trust in their employers and in society. I think it’s important that we as a society trust our police officers to be well-trained and not simply endanger human life on suspicion, even the life of a dangerous person.

Interviewer: What are the consequences of such an extreme deployment for police officers??

Terwitte: If it turns out that the killing would not have been necessary, then I think that naturally haunts the police officers. Then they will talk to psychologists and pastors to examine their conscience: did I act out of reasonable motives or was I emotional and somehow wanted to take revenge because of other attacks?? This must be kept well apart, because under certain circumstances something like this can also become punishable.

Interviewer: One of the ten commandments is: Thou shalt not kill. And there are no exemption rules in parentheses either…

Terwitte: The commandment is actually: Thou shalt not murder. And murder is the unjustified killing of a human being. There are differentiated descriptions in the Bible. But the biblical statement is quite clear: no human being can take away his own dignity, not even a perpetrator of violence or an evil person. We must prevent him from doing evil, if need be militarily or with a final saving shot. At the same time, we must always keep in mind that he has his own dignity.

The interview was conducted by Renardo Schlegelmilch.

On 19. In September of this year, the earth in Mexico shook more strongly than it had in a long time. Three months later, the people are still suffering from the consequences and the church has also been badly hit.

Red barrier tapes with the inscription "Peligro" – "Danger" are stretched across the chancel. In its center, the pews are provisionally stacked on top of each other and covered with a dusty plastic tarp. Time and again, parts of the interior facade fall to the ground with a crash. Father Gonzalo Iturarte leads a tour of the cathedral in San Cristobal de las Casas, a city in southern Mexico. He points upwards to where the organ loft used to be: "There was an old wooden organ there. It may have been out of use, but it was out of the 16. Century." The historic instrument was completely buried under the rubble. Above, in the roof truss, a meter-sized hole gapes, wooden beams protrude like broken matches.

The massive building from the colonial era was severely damaged by the earthquake three months ago. Numerous columns and round arches now have to be shored up because they are in danger of collapsing. The bell tower and the archive with numerous historical documents also had to be closed off. It was a drama for the diocese, the padre said, "but thank God that not so many people died in the earthquake. In other states, it was much worse."

Donations are not forthcoming

But for churches, it’s a problem that so many buildings now remain closed: Services have to be held outdoors or have been moved to other churches, chapels and community spaces. "Here the church services are always full, we have to organize that differently now," says Iturarte. This also applies to many educational or social projects, for which there is now a lack of space. "And, of course, our income is decreasing dramatically, because now the collection stops and we don’t get any more money, for example, for baptisms or weddings." Unlike in Germany, there is no church tax in Mexico. The church lives on donations alone, and those have already dropped by 40 percent since the quake, the padre says.

Like the congregation in San Cristobal de las Casas, this is the situation for many in the country. The earth shook several times in Mexico this fall, with the most devastating consequences coming from the quake on the 19th. September 2017 near the capital. More than 360 people lost their lives, numerous buildings collapsed or were severely damaged. Among them also over 1.600 cathedrals, monasteries, chapels, seminaries, parish halls and educational institutions – this is what recent surveys by the Mexican Episcopal Conference (CEM) have shown.

World cultural heritage destroyed

The damage is incalculable, according to the Secretary General of the Mexican Bishops’ Conference, Monsignor Alfonso Miranda Guardiola: In Mexico City and in Puebla, several monasteries and temples were destroyed that are on the Unesco World Heritage List. Historic monasteries from the 16th century. Century for example and centuries old archives. "It’s really a big blow to us," he says "and we’re going to be busy rebuilding for a long time to come."

The National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) is responsible for this, because church buildings in Mexico are state property. But hardly anyone expects that to happen quickly at the moment. Initial criticism that aid for earthquake victims is too cumbersome and inefficient. The southern states in particular are in danger of being forgotten, says Padre Rogelio Narvaez MartInez, head of Social Pastoral – Caritas in Mexico: "People in the states of Oaxaca and Chiapas have lost their livelihoods: mills have been destroyed, fishing boats, stoves, water reservoirs, everything people need for daily life." Oaxaca and Chiapas are among Mexico’s poorest states, which is why the quake’s impact there was so great. "We as Caritas now want to put these people back to work," he promises.

Great solidarity

After the quake, international support was strong: the Mexican church received help, for example, from the Spanish and Polish bishops’ conferences, but also from U.S. dioceses, the pope and the German Latin American relief organization Adveniat, which provided 20.000 euros in emergency aid.

In Mexico, too, solidarity was great: Tens of thousands of people helped in the days and weeks after the quake, clearing away rubble, offering their homes as emergency shelters, and organizing uncomplicated and rapid help via social networks wherever it was needed. That also makes Monsignor Alfonso Miranda of the bishops’ conference proud: "The cohesion in the face of this tragedy was really impressive," he says, adding, "But we Mexicans must continue to stick together and make an effort. Still a long time."

Leave a Reply Cancel reply