I. The Term
Linguistic usage is not uniform. The English expression pastoral care comes from Lat. pastor (Pastor), while the corresponding German term, Seelsorge, is literally “soul care.” Both terms have a secular origin. The concept is first found in Plato, that is, in a “philosophy that understands itself as pastoral care” (Bonhoeffer, 9). Plato has Socrates call on his fellow-citizens to show ἐπιμέλεια τῆς ψ…