If the night is too dark ” “

“Jourhavande präst” (priest available) is a service created in 1956 for suicide prevention, on the initiative of a pastor of the Lutheran church in Helsingborg, in the most southern region of Sweden. Erik Bernspång had undertaken this pastoral activity encouraged by the experience of a colleague in London, that published an ad on a newspaper: “Before committing suicide dial…”. Monica Eckerdal, Lutheran pastor for the past thirty years, actively engaged in this service for the past 22, shared the experience with Sarah Numico for SirEurope. “Erik believed it was necessary also in Helsingborg, and put an ad on the paper. It was the point of departure. After him, hotlines were set up also in other cities, phone calls were answered by pastors and priests”. For Monika Eckerdal “it makes the difference for those in difficulty. This was the motivation for making me want to provide this service which I intend to continue offering”. How does “Jourhavande präst” work? “The service, active since 1958 is available through 90 000, the official toll-free number for emergencies in Sweden, set up in 1956. At the time it was possible to contact the priests’ helpline through the national emergency service. In the early 1990s there were 13 help lines run by the Church of Sweden, one in each diocese. But statistics showed that they could manage all incoming phone calls, so it was decided to set up a national service with 13 hotlines operating in conjunction. It took ten years! But since January 1st 2012 we actively operate through a single helpline. Every night there are some 15 to 17 pastors who take shifts answering the phone. The service is active from 9 p.m to 6 a.m. Most phone calls arrive during the evening, the most serious ones in the early morning hours”. How many people call every night? “We answer an average of 190 phone calls per night. It means that we manage to give 90% of those who contact us the possibility of speaking with a pastor. Last year the Jourhavande präst service answered 69 thousand phone calls”. What kind of problems are raised by those who call? “The purpose of the helpline is still the prevention of suicide and intervention in case of crisis, emergencies. Some 3% of all phone calls is in fact linked to suicide while another 3% to situations of crisis. 13% of all phone calls regards difficulties in relations. Many people call because they are sick, mentally or physically. Many people call simple because they feel terribly lonely. Others call to ask the pastor to pray for them and with them”. What kind of answers are offered? “In reality we don’t give any answers. We provide support though a brief conversation or consultancy. If you’re alone, if your life is in crisis, it makes a difference if you can share your suffering with someone else. It makes a huge difference if someone listens to you seriously and ‘meets’ you with respect. Some people call every evening. This is not the purpose of the service, but for some it’s the only ‘way of salvation’ when the night is too dark”. What happens after the first phone call? “There’s no follow-up to the phone calls on our part. We can’t call the following day nor can we intervene calling other kind of services. Our task is to be on the phone. We provide the possibility to phone back if the person is still in crisis or suggest them to meet the pastor or the deacon of their parish. We can give phone numbers or emails, but the responsibility to make other steps is in the hands of the person. We are not allowed to continue contacts after the phone calls. We provide anonymity and professional secrecy, a kind of concordance through silence, like a protected room that makes it possible to people to open up and share their stories”.