On Vulnerability and Healthcare

A Statement by the SACRU Working Group 1

 

The published article is available > here

The publication originated from April 7, 2025 seminar> here

A new statement titled “On Vulnerability and Healthcare” has been published by the SACRU Working Group 1, dedicated to this theme. The document reflects the outcome of a collaborative seminar hosted by the Strategic Alliance of Catholic Research Universities (SACRU), during the Jubilee of the Sick and Health Care Workers on April 7, 2025,  bringing together scholars and doctoral researchers from across the alliance.

The statement explores the concept of vulnerability as a key ethical lens for reflecting on contemporary healthcare challenges. Moving beyond the idea of vulnerability as mere fragility, the document highlights its relational and social dimensions, emphasizing how recognizing human vulnerability can foster responsibility, trust, and care within healthcare systems.

The article has been published in the open-access quarterly journal Il Dizionario di dottrina sociale della Chiesa. Le cose nuove del XXI secolo, produced by the Centro di Ateneo per la Dottrina Sociale della Chiesa and supported by the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore and the Istituto Giuseppe Toniolo di Studi Superiori.

Publication details:
Issue: Fascicolo 2025, 4 (October–December 2025)
First online publication: December 2025
ISSN: 2784-8884
DOI: 10.26350/dizdott_000195

The publication builds on interdisciplinary dialogue among researchers working on topics such as medical ethics, healthcare policy, genetic testing, end-of-life care, and social justice in healthcare. Through this exchange, the Working Group seeks to contribute to a broader reflection on how healthcare institutions and research communities can respond more effectively to human vulnerability while promoting dignity and the common good.

This initiative forms part of SACRU’s ongoing commitment to fostering international academic collaboration and addressing global ethical challenges through research grounded in human dignity and social responsibility.