RSSOSAKA (UCAN) — A group of Osaka Catholics, concerned about the quality of life of retired priests and Religious, has found that their living conditions leave much to be desired even as the numbers of aging clergy increase dramatically.
“In five years we shall see an explosive increase of aged priests and sisters,” Doctor Shigeki Hitomi, the vice president of the Japan Catholic Medical Association (JCMA), said.
“What is worse, facilities designed to accommodate sisters are not yet developed. Sisters of retirement age, currently staying in their convents, are cared for by their colleagues, which is in fact an ‘old caring for the old’ situation. It will worsen year by year.”
Options for retired priests and Religious are limited, Hitomi says.
They can go to special nursing homes for the clergy and Religious or to paid nursing homes. But the former have long waiting lists, sometimes several hundreds, while the latter are very expensive.
Even those in special housing can be left severely out of pocket.
Priests of Osaka archdiocese who are in active service are paid about 130,000 yen (US$1,440) a month and many retired priests receive 80,000 yen plus an employee pension of about 50,000 yen.
The cost of medical care, however, can be up to 400,000 yen in the case of the most severely disabled residents and a priest can spend all his income on care and still have a large shortfall.
Support group to serve Church workers
Parishioners have organized a support group called Minori (bounty), composed of Catholic doctors, nurses and social workers, to help improve the well-being of elderly Church workers.
Hitomi, a 73-year-old parishioner of the Takatsuki Church in Osaka, led a study team last year that included a visit to Nibuno Villa in Himeji, Hyogo prefecture.
The villa was built eight years ago by Osaka archdiocese and eight women’s congregations. Kyoto diocese later joined in the project.
All 11 residents are priests covered by long-term care insurance.
Nurses of Himeji St. Mary’s Hospital, run by the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis, provide care services but the situation is not ideal.
“The Nibuno Villa is neither a medical nor a nursing facility,” said Hitomi.
“Legally, it is an ordinary residential house. Therefore, care there is regarded as in-home nursing care for which insurance coverage is limited.
The Minori group plans to raise funds from parishioners for financial assistance and recruit helpers, while the JCMA Osaka Branch is investigating the possibility of designating members as parish doctors or health advisers.
The association is also focusing on helping aging priests improve their diet.
On its advice, Osaka archdiocese implemented a financial support system to provide people to prepare priests’ meals at parish churches.
Hitomi said, “I am afraid that when parents hear their son say, ‘I want to be a priest,’ they tend to become upset if priests’ retirement years look uncertain and unhealthy.
“Thinking about the future of priests and implementing necessary measures to make their last years happier will help increase priestly vocations.”
JA08982.1591 March 3, 2010 53 EM-lines (502 words)
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