The healthcare industry has seen and will continue to see extensive digitization. Despite benefits, this has disrupted care delivery mechanisms—especially in spiritual and social care chaplaincy, which have fallen behind other healthcare disciplines in technology adoption. Simultaneously, patients and caregivers are increasingly participating in online support spaces, such as large communities on social media platforms (e.g., Reddit, Facebook, etc.) that lack clinical oversight, and present both challenges and opportunities for improving wellbeing and spiritual health. to address the evolving realities of patients’ behaviors and preferences, new models of care delivery are being developed for remote chaplaincy delivered via online community spaces. Through an interview study (N = 22) and a survey (N = 1010) involving professional chaplains and prospective lay users, we explore the potential of online spaces (i.e., social media-like platforms) to support emerging care models. Participants shared opportunities and challenges for creating trustworthy Online Spiritual Care Communities (OSCCs), as well as preferences for the design and moderation of OSCCs. Based on these insights, we propose the “Care Loop” model, which integrates OSCCs as a supportive complement to standard care, including a double referral mechanism that connects the two contexts while maintaining and extending the legitimacy and integrity of professional spiritual care into online spaces.

Peng-Keller, S. (2024). Healthcare Chaplaincy as Specialised Spiritual Care. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 202 pp. (pbk), ISBN: 9783525600313

Cadge, W. (2023). Spiritual Care: The Everyday Work of Chaplains. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 244 pp. (hbk), ISBN: 9780197647813; 256 pp. (pbk), ISBN: 9780197647820

This issue of Health and Social Care Chaplaincy addresses the rapidly evolving role of technology in health and social care settings, which is changing how, when and where medical care is provided. Traditionally rooted within in-person presence at the bedside, the digitalization of healthcare challenges spiritual care providers to adapt and innovate their professional practices to a model of care based on digital and often remote and ambulatory models of care. This special issue offers a broad overview of current research on digital tools for spiritual care education, examines the acceptability of digital modalities in spiritual care practice, and highlights the experiences of chaplains navigating the front line of the digital health transformation.

During COVID-19, religious communities quickly adapted to technology, especially YouTube’s live-streaming feature, to provide religious experiences to their faithful. The rise of live-streaming and online religious representation offers new opportunities for the mass cultural transmission of religious practices. By offering virtual access to religious rituals, prayers, and pilgrimages, these digital platforms provide an inclusive and equitable means for individuals from diverse backgrounds to engage with religious practices. The research employed a netnographic approach, utilizing web scraping of religious live-streams on YouTube, to investigate their growing popularity in India. Significant viewer engagement of these channels demonstrates that religious organizations are increasingly leveraging, for example, YouTube live-streams, to provide spiritual care and religious support to a wide Indian audience.

The rising prevalence of mental health issues places increasing pressure on healthcare systems worldwide. Digital Spiritual Care, particularly telechaplaincy, provides a low-threshold resource for individuals experiencing psychological distress. This study surveyed 970 voluntary telechaplains regarding practices, communication modes, target groups and training – with focus on digital interaction. Encounters were found to frequently involve mental health crises and disorders, underscoring the need for training in depression, suicidality and crisis prevention. Results indicate that the telephone remains the dominant form of communication, while the use of chat and video services is limited despite growing availability, yet a third of the participants also communicate online. This points to untapped potential in expanding digital accessibility, particularly for younger generations accustomed to digital communication. Satisfaction with training in telechaplaincy is high, only low needs for further training in digital interaction are expressed. The findings suggest several implications. Targeted training in mental health awareness, crisis intervention and digital communication is essential to ensure quality and sustainability. Stronger integration of telechaplaincy into healthcare networks could enhance continuity of care and address service gaps, particularly in underserved areas. Investment in digital infrastructure and user-friendly platforms would broaden access across diverse populations. Overall, telechaplaincy emerges as a significant and adaptable element within healthcare, extending support to individuals in acute or ongoing psychological distress and addressing critical gaps in existing provision.

This study explores, from a chaplaincy perspective, the intersection of moral injury and military chaplaincy in the context of the politically charged Australian 2001 “Children Overboard Affair” (CHOA) involving HMAS Adelaide. The purpose of this research was three-fold: (i) it investigates how the Australian Government’s “detect and deny” asylum seeker policy may have contributed to a potential moral injury (PMI) among Navy personnel; (ii) it also explores Australia’s legal obligations under the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) and the moral-ethical tensions generated by operational decisions made during the CHOA event, and (iii) it considers the role of chaplains in supporting personnel during and after a morally injurious event. The research initially undertook a systematic literature review to identify publicly available documents and publications relating to CHOA. Qualitative content analysis was subsequently used to examine the included literature and to discern common thematic categories for further exploration. The analysis revealed four major themes: (i) language framing of CHOA, (ii) power dynamics and moral silencing, (iii) spiritual and moral isolation and (iv) failure of institutional accountability. Grounded in moral injury theory, the biopsychosocial–spiritual (BPSS) paradigm, as well as practical biblical theology and the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide (RCDVS), this study highlights the unique position of chaplains in companioning the morally injured. It advocates for a proactive, integrated chaplaincy approach to moral repair in military contexts.

Christopher C. H. Cook, Isabelle Hamley & John Swinton (2023) Struggling with God: Mental Health and Christian Spirituality. London: SPCK, 140 pp. (pbk). ISBN: 9780281086412

Chaplaincy care is often described as a relational and moral practice, which is based on an attitude of presence. Safety measures during the COVID-19 pandemic, challenged chaplains in reshaping their work. This article questions what characterized chaplains’ relational practice during the crisis, and what moral orientations helped them in maintaining or rebuilding this. In-depth interviews were conducted with 25 health care chaplains during the lock-down of Dutch nursing homes, spring 2020. Thematic analyses revealed six subthemes as part of the overarching theme of ‘engagement with the suffering other’. Participants had to overcome moral challenges which required a reorientation or revaluation of their standards of care. Although the research focused on these particular COVID-19 circumstances, the relational work and accompanying moral perspectives is intrinsically tied to chaplaincy practice. Moreover, the study points to the need for attention to moral dilemmas and meaning-seeking processes of the chaplains themselves in crisis situations.

This issue of Health and Social Care Chaplaincy (HSCC) carries a broad range of topics. These topics include: the exploration of cognitive science in religion-informed spiritual care, the role of chaplaincy in an interprofessional neuropalliative outpatient team, a taxonomic approach for introducing spiritual care in healthcare settings, a peer-to-peer staff listening service for acute contexts, the indirect effects of prayer on stress and life satisfaction for participants in Alcoholics Anonymous and finally the moral reorientations of healthcare chaplains during the COVID-19 pandemic. There are also several book reviews discussing LGBTQIA inclusive hospice spiritual care, mental health and Christian spirituality, and finally, creating a sacred space for story, reflection and practice in healthcare chaplaincy. The subject matter experts of these diverse topics come from numerous countries, namely, England, Ireland, Germany, Estonia, Netherlands, Poland and the United States. The editorial concludes by noting information about the inaugural Australian and New Zealand Moral Injury Conference (ANZMIC 2026).