Search Results (591)

This article proposes that synodality is grounded in two inseparable theological realities: baptism and ecclesial care. While contemporary studies frequently interpret synodality through the categories of participation and communion, this study argues that care should be recognised as one of its constitutive foundations rather than merely its pastoral expression. Baptism incorporates believers into Christ, establishes the dignity of the People of God, and calls every Christian to participate actively in the Church’s mission through shared discernment and co-responsibility. Care, rooted in God’s saving relationship with humanity and embodied in the ministry of Jesus, gives historical and relational expression to this baptismal identity by shaping communities marked by listening, accompaniment, mercy, and service. Through engagement with the ecclesiology of the Second Vatican Council, the teaching of Pope Francis, and the Augustinian perspective of Pope Leo XIV, the article presents synodality as the Church’s enduring way of living, discerning, and witnessing together in service of the Gospel and the world. Full article

Augustine’s writings are characterized by his opposition to (primarily) three heretical and schismatic groups: the Manichaeans, the Donatists and the Pelagians (although De Haeresibus addresses a much greater range of heresies), as well as criticism of Jerome (within his own communion). This provides the opportunity to demonstrate that Augustine did not adopt a consistent approach towards different heretical groups. Starting with his determination of what constitutes a heretic in De Haeresibus, this article analyzes Augustine’s concept of the Church’s unity and the ecumenical approaches which he adopts towards certain heretical groups to preserve that unity. The article analyses a range of Augustine’s writings, including his correspondence with Jerome, considering the manner in which he engages with his religious opponents, the communication strategies which he adopts in order to further his agenda and how this functions against the background of Augustine’s view of ecclesiastical unity (particularly his understanding of the Church as the body of Christ). The article demonstrates Augustine’s ecumenical overtures to his opponents and his pursuit of “charitable correction” and how this relates to his attempts to employ religious coercion against them with support from the secular authorities, while also demonstrating how Augustine subjected himself to the type of rigorous self-examination which he demanded from his opponents. Full article

South African cities are marked by deepening social and spatial inequalities that produce exclusion, vulnerability, and contested forms of belonging. In this article, these inequalities are understood as the result of historically entrenched processes of colonialism, apartheid spatial planning, and contemporary economic exclusion that continue to shape urban life. These realities not only shape the socio-historical context of Christian mission but also expose the inadequacy of specific ecclesial forms—such as racially and linguistically differentiated synodical structures, centralised theological training institutions, and the historical distinction between “kerk” (church) and “sending” (mission), including mission paradigms characterised by a movement from institutional centers to marginalised communities under paternalistic control. This article argues that faithful participation in the missio Dei, understood here as the Triune God’s redemptive and transformative activity in the world, into which the church is called to participate rather than initiate, requires a reimagined missional ecclesiology shaped in, with, and from the margins. Framed by a broader transforming missiological paradigm and drawing on qualitative literature, this article critically engages key streams within African urban theology, missional ecclesiology, and discourses of power and marginalisation, patriarchy, and ecclesial control to interrogate how churches often reproduce dependency, paternalism, and unequal agency in urban spaces. Using the Reformed Churches in South Africa (RCSAs) as an illustrative case, this article demonstrates how inherited missionary structures have constrained the theological and missional agency of so-called mission churches—that is, churches established among Black and Coloured communities under conditions of financial, administrative, and theological dependence on historically white “mother churches”. Full article

The dynamic sociocultural changes occurring in contemporary society necessitate a continuous updating of formation models and programmes for current and future pastoral workers across all Christian Churches. While the origins of artificial intelligence (AI) date back to the 1950s, its pervasive integration into the daily lives of billions globally has accelerated dramatically in the 21st century. Concurrently, digital exclusion is gradually diminishing, and virtual reality significantly impacts the spiritual practices of both individual believers and ecclesiastical communities worldwide. Since the pontificate of John Paul II, the Catholic Church has maintained a dual perspective on digital technologies, viewing them both as a potential threat to faith and as an unprecedented opportunity for evangelization. Pope Francis further intensified this dynamic approach, which continues under Pope Leo XIV, as confirmed by the encyclical ‘Magnifica humanitas’, published on 25 May 2026. This article aims to address the following research question: What constitutes the contemporary model of digital formation for Catholic pastoral workers? A substantive analysis of official 21st-century magisterial documents was conducted to address this issue. The analysis yielded a proposed framework for the required digital formation of Catholic ministers. This study is limited by the absence of empirical verification regarding the practical application of the proposed model, presenting an essential avenue for future social research. Full article

Bereavement in Southern Africa is not a private event. It is rather a shared and communal experience, shaped by rituals, faith, and relationships. In Botswana, mourning is influenced by Botho, a way of life that says, “I am because we are,” where a whole community carries the pain of loss together and takes responsibility for the bereaved. These communal rituals bring comfort, meaning and a sense of belonging, helping families accept death and move towards healing. Yet research also shows a harder side: many mourning practices are gendered and favors male gender. Widows often face long, strict rituals, social isolation and suspicion, rooted in patriarchy and ideas about impurity or danger, which can harm their emotional, social, and economic well-being. This article uses conceptual/theological analysis within pastoral theology and African relational ethics to examine these practices and to explore how churches and caregivers can honor culture while resisting injustice. Drawing on work of Botho African pastoral care and gender, it shows that the same communal systems that care can also exclude and marginalize widows. The article proposes a Gendered Botho Pastoral Care Model that calls Christian communities to sustain communal solidarity and shared mourning, challenge patriarchal and violent widowhood rites, reinterpret rituals in life-giving ways, and build resilience, dignity and agency for widows, so that mourning spaces become places of healing, justice and restored humanity Pastors for widows in Botswana and across Southern Africa. Full article

The digital age marks the 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR), which has changed every aspect of our lives, including youth ministry globally and Southern Africa in particular. However, it is worth noting that the digital revolution has significantly transformed the lives of young people, bringing opportunities and challenges for youth ministry. This shift raises important questions about the nature of youth ministry as the church seeks to embrace digitalization and social media in conjunction with face-to-face pastoral care ministry among the youth. This article explores the challenges and opportunities presented by the digital era for youth ministry in Southern Africa. It argues that the digital era poses significant challenges that cause the risk of losing contact and the erosion of meaningful relationships in pastoral ministry, but at the same time provides opportunities for digital convenience in communication and collaboration to advance learning, sharing, and the participation of young people in the church. This article employs textual analysis for data collection and qualitative inductive critical data and content analysis. The church’s understanding of the challenges and opportunities of the digital era helps in designing and adapting new methods and strategies for nurturing young people for ministry in the church and society. The article contributes to the discourse on the integration of social media in youth pastoral ministry. Full article

Background/Objectives: Previous research has linked religious involvement to increased rates of breastfeeding initiation and duration, as well as improved lactation-related health outcomes. However, affiliation with certain faith traditions may also constrain breastfeeding practices due to misconceptions, modesty norms, religiously informed cultural beliefs, or other contextual factors. Given Mississippi’s status as one of the most religious states in the United States, this study examines unique facets of the association between religion and breastfeeding, with special attention to the direct and indirect role of congregational support. Methods: This study uses data from men and women, primarily White and African American respondents, in Wave II of the Mississippi REACH Social Climate Survey. This survey features both established and novel measures of breastfeeding outcomes, enabling new insights into the linkages among religion, community perceptions, and breastfeeding prevalence in primary social networks. The REACH Social Climate Survey combines a general population sample with an oversample of African American residents from the Mississippi Gulf Coast, collected in 2023. The analysis focuses on the direct and indirect associations between congregational support for breastfeeding and the prevalence of breastfeeding within social networks. Results: The main findings reveal (1) a direct and positive association between congregational support and breastfeeding social network prevalence and (2) an indirect association between congregational support and breastfeeding social network prevalence through community support for breastfeeding. Conclusions: These results underscore the importance of examining the intersectional associations among religion, community context, and infant health outcomes. Full article

This article examines the development of Catholic reflection on media, communication, and technology from nineteenth-century debates over press freedom to contemporary interventions on artificial intelligence. Drawing on a purposively selected corpus of Catholic documents issued at the universal level between 1832 and 2026, it combines historical–hermeneutical reconstruction, comparative document analysis, and juridical–institutional interpretation. The study distinguishes three heuristic phases: defensive regulation and the construction of Catholic media institutions; pastoral appropriation, dialogue, media education, and digital adaptation; and, since 2020, an anthropological deepening accompanied by growing concern with the political, economic, juridical, and social structures of AI. Particular attention is given to the Rome Call for AI Ethics, the two papal messages of 2024, Antiqua et nova, and Magnifica humanitas. The article argues that this history does not reveal an unchanged doctrine of human dignity, but a developing anthropological concern whose vocabulary, theological grounding, and normative function change over time. Earlier concerns with truth, moral order, ecclesial responsibility, and the salvation of souls are progressively reformulated through communication as communion, participation, rights, human agency, and integral human development. Full article

Byzantine theological education often focuses on textual abstraction, frequently failing to convey the tradition’s embodied, spatial, and liturgical depths. This mixed-methods case study examined whether immersive virtual reality (IVR) could bridge this divide. A total of thirty (n = 30) graduate theology students were invited to navigate a bespoke reconstruction of a Byzantine church—modeled on the Chora Monastery—using Meta Quest 3 headsets (Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2, standalone inside-out tracking). Following a 25 min immersive session, participants completed usability assessments, semi-structured interviews, and observational documentation. Quantitative data revealed above-average system usability (M = 72.50, SD = 5.18), significantly exceeding the standard 68-point usability benchmark, t(29) = 4.760, p < 0.001, d = 0.869, and intuitive navigation even among IVR novices (63.3% of participants completed the guided task sequence with zero errors). Through thematic analysis, six key dimensions of the experience—spatial presence, theological meaning-making, navigational ease, interaction affordances, pedagogical limitations, and technical constraints—were identified. Participants described the sense of ‘immersive presence’ as transformative and reported that it helped them correct prior spatial misconceptions and deepened their affective engagement with the liturgy. However, they also identified significant pedagogical hurdles. The lack of collaborative features was described as “theologically incomplete,” while the absence of multisensory elements—specifically scent—created a noticeable liturgical void. Furthermore, participants highlighted an unresolved tension between the experience’s devotional immersion and the critical distance required for academic study. The findings suggest that if IVR can support theological education effectively, future digital architectures may need to go beyond technical functionality to prioritize communal presence, contemplative pacing, and scaffolded criticality. This single-case, non-comparative design does not test IVR’s efficacy relative to physical site visits or 360° video. It instead establishes baseline usability and experiential evidence to inform such comparisons in future research. Full article

Within UNESCO’s framework for sustainable heritage, this study examines how community engagement shapes the conservation of religious architectural heritage and the continuity of cultural landscapes. Using Sanliqiao Catholic Church in Wuxi, China, as a case study, it explores how heritage value is produced through the interaction of everyday practices, place identity, and participation in governance. Drawing on 19 interviews, field observations, archival materials, historical images, and 216 online comments, the findings reveal how everyday spatial practices sustain the cultural landscape. These practices generate differentiated place identities among believers, residents, and commercial stakeholders. Such identity differences, in turn, influence uneven participation in heritage governance and shape how cultural value is experienced and distributed. Cultural landscape reproduction thus emerges as a dynamic process linking everyday practice, identity formation, and participatory governance structures. The study underscores the critical role of inclusive participation in heritage governance and contributes to broader international debates on socially sustainable heritage management, with implications for similar religious and urban heritage sites beyond the Chinese context. Full article

This paper argues for the Catholic Church to receive and nurture the synod on synodality toward transformative decolonization through stronger and humbler engagement with Indigenous communities (primarily from North and South America) and their worldviews that parallel, augment, or challenge ecclesial doctrines and praxes laid out in the synod. The paper will first analyze the trend toward decolonization in the synodal process and then propose two clear opportunities for decolonial synodality informed by Catholic–Indigenous dialogue: the church as the people of God and as a community firmly rooted in and attentive to local contexts and, thus, place and space. Following these areas of relative harmony, the paper will highlight two regions likely to produce tension. The first is the significantly different worldviews of Indigenous cultures from the West that still dominate the church’s vision, language, and practice. The second is the possible refusal of Indigenous individuals or communities to engage in an “ecclesiology of recognition” that seeks to “include” Indigenous people and perspectives while exploiting them without challenging or changing the imperial and colonial heritages of Christianity. The paper will end by reaffirming the worth and necessity of decolonial synodality imagined, explored, and realized in creative and tense relationships with Indigenous communities. Full article

Background/Objectives: Social isolation, loneliness, and mental health challenges among older people have been a global problem long before the advent of COVID-19. In Australia, there are many reports of how COVID-19 has worsened older people’s mental health, social isolation and loneliness experiences. However, the narratives have focused on the general population with little attention being paid to migrants from minority groups who have traditionally relied on informal social networks. Methods: In this study, we employed community-based participatory research, supported by thematic analysis, to investigate how 21 older West African migrants in Greater Sydney experienced social isolation and loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic and the coping strategies they adopted. Results: The findings show a growing trend in weakening social connectivity, exacerbated by COVID-19, resulting in significant social impacts, mental health concerns, and daily lifestyle changes. There is a greater concern about mental health experiences, including fear, anxiety, confusion, and depression. Participants noted forming new habits, such as watching movies and learning new digital technological skills, as the main coping strategies, which enabled them to connect with churches and other organisations. However, their coping strategies adopted were provisional, unsustainable, and uncoordinated. Conclusions: There is a need for locally government-supported activities that foster and sustain social interaction, as well as more community-led and locally supported initiatives that can alleviate social isolation and loneliness during global pandemics. Full article

Soil samples obtained during an archaeological investigation accompanying renovation works on the village church of Golmsdorf were analyzed for the composition of soil bacterial communities using 16S rRNA sequencing. The bacterial composition of an early medieval settlement pit discovered at depth beneath the floor of the nave proved to be particularly noteworthy in relation to the archaeological context. The composition of DNA coding for 16S rRNA from this settlement pit reflects the incorporation of plant material, most likely mixed with ruminant manure and possibly additional animal remains. Archaeologically, this can be interpreted as evidence for human use of the immediate surroundings of the pit during its backfilling, together with livestock keeping. This finding clearly demonstrates the ecological “memory” of soil bacteria with respect to the prehistoric past and the human impact on the soil at that time. In contrast, bacterial taxa associated with organic material and livestock are scarcely present—or absent altogether—in soil samples taken immediately beneath the church floor. Instead, these samples show a high proportion of salt-tolerant and halophilic bacteria, which corresponds well with the observed high electrical conductivity values of this material. This pattern is interpreted as a consequence of the incorporation of construction material residues into the soil during building activity at the church in the late Middle Ages or 17th-century construction phases. The results overall demonstrate that NGS-based analyses of soil bacterial communities can provide valuable insights into human influence on soil material in both historical and prehistoric contexts, offering important additional information for archaeological interpretation. Full article

Background: Given the paucity of evidence on diabetes and associated risk factors among Pasifika communities in Australia, this analysis aimed to estimate the prevalence of diabetes and associated risk factors in this population. Methods: A whole-of-community-based cross-sectional analysis was conducted using baseline health screening data from adults aged ≥18 years in the Pasifika Preventing Diabetes Programme, a stepped-wedge randomised controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness of a “through the church” behaviour change intervention on diabetes prevention and management in Pasifika communities in Greater Sydney. HbA1c, random blood glucose, blood pressure, and anthropometric measurements were collected alongside sociodemographic, health behaviour, diabetes knowledge, and quality-of-life questionnaire data. Diabetes was defined by HbA1c ≥ 6.5% or self-reported diagnosis. Multivariable binary logistic regression was conducted to identify significant factors associated with the odds of having diabetes. Results: Among 1161 participants, 33.9% (95% CI: 31.1–36.7) had diabetes, of whom 34.3% were previously undiagnosed. Only 2.5% met fruit and vegetable guidelines; 34.3% met minimum physical activity recommendations, 95.8% were obese/overweight, and 68.0% had high blood pressure. The adjusted odds ratio (AOR) of having diabetes increased with family history of diabetes (AOR, 2.23; 95% CI: 1.56–3.20), high blood pressure (AOR, 1.65; 95% CI: 1.15–2.38), and older age (AOR, 1.06; 95% CI: 1.05–1.07). A high level of physical activity was associated with a 41% lower odds of diabetes compared to a low level of physical activity (AOR, 0.59; 95% CI: 0.38–0.94). Conclusions: This study demonstrates a high burden of diabetes among Pasifika adults in Australia, including a substantial proportion of previously undiagnosed cases. Older age, family history of diabetes, and high blood pressure were associated with higher odds of diabetes, while high physical activity was associated with lower odds. These findings highlight the need for culturally safe, community-based approaches to strengthen diabetes screening, early diagnosis, and integrated prevention strategies in this underserved high-risk population. Full article

This article explores the methodological and theological implications of beginning empirical ecclesiological research not with the church, but with the Kingdom of God. Drawing on Jürgen Moltmann’s eschatological epistemology, it develops two core concepts—reversal and order—to argue that knowledge of the Kingdom arises not through detached observation but through communal, attentive participation in lived reality. Using “experiences of abundance” as an operationalisation of the Kingdom, the article examines how this shift in starting point reshapes empirical ecclesiology by emphasizing discernment as an essential methodological practice. Situated within ongoing debates on ethnographic theology and qualitative approaches, the article contends that empirical research serves as a means of being led into theological knowledge rather than producing it. It concludes that ecclesiology must have a receptive attitude and participative methodology, grounded in concrete life where the Kingdom’s reality becomes perceptible. Full article