Spiritual Care and Bioethics: Exploring Theological Perspectives and Practical Applications
A special issue of Religions (ISSN 2077-1444). This special issue belongs to the section "Religions and Health/Psychology/Social Sciences".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 October 2026 | Viewed by 1722
Special Issue Editors
2. Department of Human Dignity and Social Justice, Theological College of Pécs, 7625 Pecs, Hungary
Interests: Bioethics (reproductive ethics); Social ethics (family ethics); Fundamental ethics (thought experiments in the teaching of bioethics)
Interests: Realistic philosophy; Edith Stein; philosophy of vocation; philosophical foundations of Christian politics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
This Special Issue aims to explore the connection between spiritual care and bioethics. It is a well-known fact that theology and different religious traditions have played a vital role in the evolution of bioethics. This is especially true for Christian theology, which contributed significantly to the establishment of bioethics as a separate discipline in the continental and the Anglo-Saxon academic community, and later, worldwide as well. Furthermore, it is also clear that different religious traditions have had a strong influence for millennia on issues that we now consider subjects of bioethics. This special issue focuses on highlighting this religious-theological influence on Bioethics, giving space to theological, philosophical, historical and practical approaches to the issue.
In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) those outlined below.
Research area A:
The Manifold Bond Between Religion, Theology, and Bioethics
In this area authors may publish their works on the historical bond between religion, theology and bioethics. Pioneering figures in bioethics who came from a theological background; influential theories, such as principlism (autonomy, benevolence, non-maleficence, justice); the social teaching of the church and bioethics; theories in moral theology which had and influence on bioethical thinking, such as the influence of religious traditions on issues like body, vulnerability, pain, suffering, healing, and our concern and care for the created world are all possible topics for discussion.
Research area B:
The Role of Religion and Theology in the Discussion of Specific Themes of Bioethics
The authors are invited to discuss specific themes of bioethics from various the perspective of different religious traditions and theories from within theological ethics. These include ethical questions at the beginning and end of life (abortion, PND, PGD, in vitro fertilization, surrogacy, etc.); particular questions connected to the advancement of medicine (transplantation, genetic engineering, developments in neuroscience, etc.); topics on our responsibility for our created world. Other topics, such as the use of AI in medicine or in hospital chaplaincy, are also welcome.
Research area C:
The Role of Spirituality and Religion in Solving Cases of Bioethical Concern
Religious practices can contribute to solving questions of bioethical concern. Prayer, reconciliation, and other religious practices may help individuals and communities to find meaning in critical moments of life. This research area offers the chance to investigate the role of these religious practices within medical and ecological settings, and to examine how they contribute to the solution of situations with bioethical concern. The spiritual dimension of the work of health care professionals and the role of spirituality for the ethics of care can be elaborated here too.
We look forward to receiving your contributions.
Prof. Dr. Gusztáv Kovács
Prof. Dr. Matyas Szalay
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- bioethics
- religion
- spirituality
- medical ethics
- ecological ethics
- principlism
- clinical chaplaincy
- beginning-of-life questions
- end-of-life questions
- neuroethics
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