SACRU: Embracing vulnerability in healthcare and ethics

By Linda Bordoni

“Vulnerability is not a limitation, but a strength that unites us and calls us to responsibility” is the message at the core of a research seminar hosted by SACRU- The Strategic Alliance of Catholic Research Universities.

Promoted by the Australian Catholic University and in conjunction with the Jubilee for the Sick and the World of Healthcare, the seminar at the University’s Rome campus on Monday saw the participation of young scholars from around the world.

The event aimed to analyse the ethical and social dimensions of vulnerability and urge institutions to recognize fragility not as a weakness but as an integral part of the human experience and of authentic care.

The roundtable marked the culmination of a journey that began in 2024, bringing together doctoral students from SACRU’s global network to share their interdisciplinary research. From genetic testing to end-of-life care, from interreligious healthcare ethics in conflict zones to the philosophical roots of virtue and justice, their studies converge on a common theme: the transformative potential of vulnerability.

Reframing the concept of vulnerability

Opening the session, David Kirchhoffer, Director of the Queensland Bioethics Centre and Chair of SACRU’s Working Group on Vulnerability, reflected on the post-pandemic need to reframe the concept.

“Since the Covid-19 pandemic and the establishment of this Working Group, we have recognized the importance of placing vulnerability at the center of our reflection, within the framework of research conducted as Catholic universities,” he said. “This collaboration among doctoral students is the tangible expression of this commitment.”

Present at the seminar was the designated Australian Ambassador to the Holy See, Keith Pitt, along with institutional leaders and healthcare professionals.

Virginia Bourke, Pro-Chancellor of the Australian Catholic University and Chair of the Board of Mercy Health Australia, highlighted the urgent need for ethical clarity in today’s fragmented regulatory landscape, especially in the healthcare and aged care sectors.

“The SACRU initiative,” she noted, “offers a shared orientation and language, contributing to a coherent ethical framework that can provide concrete added value to the healthcare sector.”

A space for mutual growth

The roundtable discussion brought together voices from seven countries and diverse academic disciplines. Doctoral students shared insights drawn from their respective fields, guided by a shared vision of care that embraces vulnerability as a space for mutual growth.

“For many of us, vulnerability is seen as something to be overcome,” said Joana Ramos of Universidade Católica Portuguesa. “But through this dialogue, we began to see it as a common ground – a space where ethics, science, and human dignity intersect.”

Simona Beretta, professor of Economic Policy at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore and member of the Working Group, emphasized the theological and civic resonance of this reimagined concept: “The students interpreted vulnerability not only as fragility, but as responsibility toward others. It’s a principle of good coexistence, echoed in the figure of the Good Samaritan and in Pope Francis’s encyclical Fratelli Tutti.”

Closing the session, theologian and Vice Provost for Global Engagement at Boston College, Fr. James Keenan, SJ, offered a profound meditation on vulnerability as ethical engagement:

“Vulnerability is a robust concept for healthcare ethics. It identifies those in precarity, yes – but also those who are responsive. Nurses, physicians, caregivers: they must allow themselves to be vulnerable to those they serve. It is this fundamental openness that gives vulnerability its power in our time.”

Echoing this spirit, Pier Sandro Cocconcelli, SACRU’s Secretary General, reaffirmed the alliance’s commitment to fostering dialogue and ethical leadership through academic collaboration:

“In a global context marked by deep inequalities and growing mistrust in science,” he said, “this panel demonstrates how academic research can once again place human dignity at the center and contribute concretely to the common good.”