Diaconia and Interreligious Cooperation in Switzerland

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

line 6 wih = with

line 15 “hors-sol” define in a footnote

line 62 / 65 the term 'cantonally' needs some explanation in a footnote for those who do not know what a canton is.

line 64 other actors = others involved. 

line 97  evang.-ref. church = Evangelical Reformed Church [the author uses once twice: in p.97 and 99

line 181-2 four models of classification ... can these be clearly described / identified

line 217 Mulim = Muslim ?

line 358-9 why have a separate paragraph? and why in bold?

lines 410-5 why not combine in one paragraph? Paragraphs with few lines are not ideal in an academic paper.

lines 461-551 I think this section is a repetition of lines 369-460 ... there, DELETE

lines 595-7 I prefer ITALICS than in BOLD. But it depends on the methodology adopted by the Religions editors.

lines 634-635 what is this sentence on its own and in Bold? I would place it at the end of the preceding paragraph.

lines 765-766 why in Bold and in a separate paragraph? Keep bold for headings / sub-headings.

I would re-write the conclusion and expand it a little bit, perhaps include a quote as an aftertaste to an interesting article.

Author Response

Thank you for your careful review. We tried our best to incorporate your comments into the article.

Reviewer 2 Report

This paper discusses interreligious practices in Swiss pastoral contexts. It defines these context as pastoral-diaconal, but the diaconal aspect of this
paper remains very undefined and vague. It is defined as 'general helping'. This is not in line with recent debates on the meaning of diaconia. The term diaconal could be easily omitted from the article without really changing anything to its outcome. It therefore seems to have been added to make the article fit in this special issue. 
This is not convincing; in this form, the article does not contribute to insight in diaconal practices or diaconal theory. The social aspects of pastoral care are mentioned, but the article is still very much focussed on practices of individual pastoral care (in social contexts). The prophetic aspects of diaconia are completely absent, and so is an analysis of the powerdynamics, which are both important features of diaconia.

The article seems to wants to do to much: it discusses both the connection between pastoral and diaconal care, and the importance of interreligious practices in pastoral care. The transition from diaconal-pastoral care 
to interreligious pastoral care is not clear. the diaconal aspects are lost in this transition.
Also, many assumptions are based on superficial observations; many questions remain unanswered.

I therefore think that this article, how important the topic in itself might be, is not at the level of an article for the special on diaconia of Religions.

See attached comments in the article itself.

 

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

There are many small mistakes in the English; it seems recommendable to have the manuscript checked by a native speaker.

Author Response

In the Swiss diaconal context, the diaconal aspect is interpreted precisely with generally helping actions that are Judeo-Christian based and motivated. This is in line with recent debates about its meaning in Switzerland. In my opinion, the critique of the expertise shows very well the necessity of contextual embedding also of scientific reflection in diaconal science. Therefore, the term "diakonia" should not be deleted from the article. Deletion would fundamentally change the outcome. It is not added, but is fundamentally used in this way in the scientific discourse in Switzerland. That the author would have intended that in this way the article would fit into the special issue, testifies in my view to the ignorance of the reviewer and raises questions on my part about his assessment. My chosen topic is normative for the article, not the adaptation to the special issue.

Furthermore, the article does not want to want too much: It highlights the importance of the interreligious transformation of diakonia as a general human help, which is Judeo-Christian motivated, interpreted through one of the aspects of diakonia, pastoral care. The article takes up the scholarly discourse of defining the relationship between pastoral care and diakonia and integrates the "diaconal aspects." Why the reviewer has to devalue the observations as "superficial", and moreover to question the level for the booklet in such a way, leaves open questions on my part towards his assessment.

Round 2

Reviewer 2 Report

Please see the attachment.

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Please see the attachment.

Author Response

I apologize if ignorance on my part has been met as insult. I appreciate the critical feedback of this revision and think the article has won thanks to the comments. I thank you for it.

We revised as best as possible according to your comments.