Theology and Spiritual Care in Palliative Care

Abstract

The recognition that spiritual aspects are involved in health and that sick people can benefit from spiritual care as part of their healthcare justifies this study. Furthermore, it is important to consider people who are enjoying longevity but are simultaneously facing chronic degenerative diseases and their consequences, and who also need to find meaning and significance in their suffering at this stage of life. Therefore, spiritual care as part of Palliative Care is necessary. For this assistance to constitute ethical, comprehensive, and pluralistic care, it must be based on spirituality and religiosity rather than being limited exclusively to voluntary or pastoral-religious practices. Otherwise, the risk of proselytizing arises, and amateurism can become harmful. Thus, it is crucial for practitioners to be adequately trained to act professionally as spiritual assistants. This qualitative, theoretically exploratory, and explanatorily deductive study aims to ascertain whether individuals with formal theological training are equipped to work in healthcare, particularly in palliative care. To support this hypothesis, the study drew on contributions from the literature, with an emphasis on Public Theology; the review was guided by critical reflection. The research results show that theological knowledge can contribute to helping patients and their families transcend, give meaning to, and reframe their suffering in the face of vulnerability, which is exacerbated by life-limiting illnesses and finitude. In conclusion, it is highly relevant and pertinent for theologians to serve as spiritual care professionals within multidisciplinary palliative care teams, and theological education must adequately prepare them for this specialized role.