Spiritual Care and Bioethics: Exploring Theological Perspectives and Practical Applications

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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Religions is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

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.

• bioethics
• religion
• spirituality
• medical ethics
• ecological ethics
• principlism
• clinical chaplaincy
• beginning-of-life questions
• end-of-life questions
• neuroethics