Caritas et veritas - Latest articles
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Artificial Intelligence and the Transformation of Society – reflection on current perspectives and future challenges for the social sciences and humanitiesEditorial
Daniel D. Novotný, Chileshe Mulenga
Caritas et veritas 2026, 16(1):6-7 
The history of human civilisation is, in many respects, a history of adaptation to changing con ditions such as climate and environmental shifts, epidemics, and the discovery and invention of new materials and technologies. Whether in the form of agriculture, pastoralism, metallurgy, new sources of energy, or the processes that have produced the materials upon which contemporary civilisation rests, namely ammonia, cement, plastics, and steel, as emphasised by Václav Smil, each transformation has reshaped human life in ways that are at once liberating and unsettling. In our own time, marked by an accelerating pace of change, another transformation is...
Technological Hegemony in the Global South: epistemicide, Dehumanisation and Digital DominationStudies Topical
Chileshe Mulenga Nicholas, David Mutemwa
Caritas et veritas 2026, 16(1):103-116 | DOI: 10.32725/cetv.2026.010
This paper examines the dominance of Western technological systems in the Global South within an increasingly digitalised world where education, healthcare, governance, and social interaction are shaped by digital technologies. It argues that these systems reinforce epistemic inequality by privileging Western knowledge while marginalising indigenous epistemologies, thereby threatening human dignity, epistemic justice, and cultural identity. Drawing on Neil Postman’s concept of technopoly alongside African philosophical perspectives on relationality and communal knowledge, the study demonstrates how Western-controlled digital platforms and infrastructures...
Payment Cards and Consumerism in the Age of AI: towards a Mediation AccountStudies Topical
Ehsan Arzroomchilar, Daniel D. Novotný
Caritas et veritas 2026, 16(1):88-102 | DOI: 10.32725/cetv.2026.009
We sometimes assume that technologies simply do what they are designed to do. Technology, however, brings new opportunities and risks into the world that would not have been possible otherwise. It often leads to effects that are unintended and/or unforeseen and exceed our pri mary intentions. It shapes environment, society, and even our own self-understanding. In this paper, we offer an account of one such technology, namely payment cards (and other related payment technologies), which are an important step in the direction of cashless society and Internet of Things. While conveniently facilitating the process of payment, these cards have been shown...
Artificial Intelligence in Psychotherapy: experiences of Aftercare Programme ClientsStudies Topical
Kristýna Hellerová, David Urban, Jana Hamhalterová
Caritas et veritas 2026, 16(1):76-87 | DOI: 10.32725/cetv.2026.008
AI tools are increasingly present in mental health and addiction aftercare, yet little is known about clients’ perspectives in these settings. This qualitative study examines how adults in Czech aftercare programmes experience AI-supported tools across emotional, cognitive, and ethical dimensions. Using reflexive thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke) of transcribed semi-structured interviews with five clients in post-treatment recovery, the analysis identified themes of emotional support, cognitive structuring, and ambivalence regarding trust, rela tional authenticity, and data privacy. The findings suggest that AI can complement psycho social...
Artificial Intelligence and Social Diversity: Demographic Aspects and Security ChallengesStudies Topical
Ivana Olecká, Josef Smolík
Caritas et veritas 2026, 16(1):56-75 | DOI: 10.32725/cetv.2026.007
Recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are increasingly shaping everyday life. This study examined patterns of AI use in the Czech Republic and their relationship with demographic factors. A representative sample of 521 respondents aged 15 and above was surveyed between March and June 2024 using online and assisted interviews. Key variables included gender, age (adolescence/early adulthood, middle adulthood, late adulthood, old age), and highest level of education (elementary, vocational, secondary, tertiary). Results show that intensive use of AI accounts is limited: only a small proportion of respondents use AI daily or very...
The Anthropological Turn Towards Dialogue in the Age of Generative AIStudies Topical
Milan Urbančok, Jozef Žuffa, Lucia Malíčková
Caritas et veritas 2026, 16(1):45-55 | DOI: 10.32725/cetv.2026.006
Generative artificial intelligence is reshaping the conditions of theological interpretation by changing how religious texts are searched, organised, questioned, and methodologically approached. This article examines the methodological and anthropological implications of integrating generative AI into theological research, with particular attention to the formu lation of research questions, the interpretation of textual corpora, and the responsibility of the human interpreter. The study is based on a theological-anthropological, hermeneutical, and conceptual analysis that draws on the authors’ research trajectory since 2023, including interdisciplinary...
The Word without a Speaker? Scripture, Its Meaning, and the Challenge of Large Language ModelsStudies Topical
Jiří Dosoudil
Caritas et veritas 2026, 16(1):33-44 | DOI: 10.32725/cetv.2026.005
Recent developments in AI, particularly LLMs, have brought renewed attention to herme neutical questions concerning how meaning arises in language and whether it depends on the intention of a speaking subject. Against this background, the present study asks how Scripture can be understood as the Word of God in a context where language demonstra bly functions without a speaker, arguing that this situation challenges modern logocentric models of meaning rather than theological conceptions of Scripture. Methodologically, the article combines philosophical analysis of language, biblical-theological examination of the concepts of dābār and logos,...
Artificial Intelligence as a Challenge for Spiritual-theological Reflection in the Context of the Encyclicals Laudato si’ and Fratelli tuttiStudies Topical
Michal Černý
Caritas et veritas 2026, 16(1):18-32 | DOI: 10.32725/cetv.2026.004
The development of generative artificial intelligence in the last three years has fundamentally transformed the forms of education, the shape of the labour market and the competencies needed for a successful life in modern society. Church documents have commented on tech nical and social changes since the late 19th century, but the perception of selected social changes and their spiritual and social risks is broader. This study aims to create a field of thought constituted by reflection on contemporary socio-religious themes and to contextualise these themes through the themes of two encyclicals of Pope Francis—Laudato si’ and Fratelli...
Character Formation of Generation Z in Christian Religious Education Through Spiritual FormationStudies Topical
Imanuel Herman Prawiromaruto, Kalis Stevanus, Thomas Pentury, Alvonce Poluan, Tan Lie-lie
Caritas et veritas 2025, 15(2):90-102 | DOI: 10.32725/cetv.2025.020
Generation Z, often characterised as digital natives, has grown up in an environment where technology particularly smartphones—is a constant presence. This pervasive exposure to digital devices has significantly shaped their daily lives, cognitive development, and moral reasoning. The omnipresence of technology presents both opportunities and challenges in the formation of their character and social behaviours. Empirical studies indicate that approximately 95% of individuals within this generation possess access to a smartphone, employing it for a variety of functions including communication, education, and entertainment. Notably, around 77%...
Value and Demographic Characteristics of the Czech Population Engaged in Humanities-Oriented Leisure Activities: A Challenge for Values Education and Social SecurityStudies Topical
Jiří Pospíšil, Ivana Olecká
Caritas et veritas 2025, 15(2):72-89 | DOI: 10.32725/cetv.2025.019
In the context of current global crises (migratory, and military) as well as the growing phenomenon of child brutality (manifesting, for example, in violent incidents in schools), it is becoming increasingly evident that education has diverged from one of its fundamental purposes: the cultivation of humanity. This article contributes to the ongoing debate by analysing the relationship between participation in humanities-oriented leisure activities and individual value preferences, based on data from a 2024 survey conducted on a representative sample of 1,873 respondents in the Czech Republic. The analysis showed no statistically significant gender...
Ethical Values of Education in Wartime: the Ukrainian ContextStudies Topical
Lyudmyla Ivanyuk
Caritas et veritas 2025, 15(2):55-71 | DOI: 10.32725/cetv.2025.018
During wartime, education is confronted with both institutional disruptions and deep ethical dilemmas, as it seeks to uphold and transmit moral values in the midst of instability, trauma, and social disintegration. This study explores the ethical values of education during the war in Ukraine, aiming to understand how educational spaces can foster dignity, responsibility, and solidarity under crisis conditions. Using a three-stage hermeneutical approach – normative theorisation, qualitative analysis through student questionnaires, and critical reflection – the study examines both the ideals and lived realities of ethical education in wartime....
The Demand for Universal Love in the Globalised World And Its Current Challenges for Social Work Based on the Initiatives of the Social Encyclical of Pope Francis Fratelli tutti (2020)Studies Topical
Jindřich Šrajer
Caritas et veritas 2025, 15(2):47-54 | DOI: 10.32725/cetv.2025.017
The article reflects the call for universal love in our globalised world and the resulting challenges for social work, drawing on Pope Francis’ social encyclical Fratelli tutti (2020), and relevant scholarly literature. This theoretically grounded article examines and documents universal fraternity and social friendship as contemporary demand for universal love, which Pope Francis presents as essential for the future perspectives of our globalised world. His perspectives also offer a deeper understanding of social reality and the core mission of social work. The text affirms the relevance of Pope Francis’ concept and the specific role of...
Humanity and Spirituality in Social and Pedagogical Rehabilitation: on the Way to Human Integration and Education for HumanityStudies Topical
Helena Dojčarová
Caritas et veritas 2025, 15(2):37-46 | DOI: 10.32725/cetv.2025.016
Rehabilitation in contemporary understanding encompasses a holistic approach to the individual, taking into account their psychological, social, and spiritual dimensions. Within this broader perspective, the values of humanity and spirituality come to the forefront. Respecting the client’s spirituality and the values of humanity emerging from it leads to a truly effective rehabilitation care. Focusing on social and pedagogical rehabilitation, this article presents selected social work theories that reflect the themes of humanity and spirituality and are applicable within the field of social rehabilitation – namely, existential analysis...
Interim Bridges to ‘Them’: The Challenges of Education and Living with Diversity Raised by the Ukrainian CrisisStudies Topical
Jana Karlová, Lucie Ludvíková
Caritas et veritas 2025, 15(2):17-36 | DOI: 10.32725/cetv.2025.015
This qualitative study explores the experience of living with diversity in three lower-grade public elementary school classes in the Czech Republic, focusing on the challenges brought to light by the arrival of immigrants from Ukraine in 2022. Conducted between September 2021 and March 2023, the research is based primarily on semi-structured interviews with educators, complemented by participant observation and document analysis. Drawing on insights from sociocultural anthropology, it examines educators’ understandings of boundaries—particularly the categories of ‘normal’ and ‘foreign’, and the distinctions between...
Humanity as a Fundamental Value of Education (not only) in Leisure TimeEditorial
Markéta Kropíková, Michal Opatrný
Caritas et veritas 2025, 15(2):6-7
Caritas et veritas 2/2025 was created with the awareness that life in the 21st century is marked by tension between massive technological advances, social upheavals, and radical changes in human needs—and at the same time by a lasting desire for humanity, which, despite growing uncertainties, has not lost its significance. Most of the articles were therefore guided by a question that periodically recurs in the humanities and social sciences, but which takes on new urgency in times of crisis: Can contemporary education and training still humanise people? And if so, how?
Reflection and self-reflection in qualifying education in social work as a path to harmonious personality development among workersStudies Varia
Zdeňka Dohnalová, Mirka Nečasová
Caritas et veritas 2025, 15(1):115-129 | DOI: 10.32725/cetv.2025.010
According to the Global Definition of Social Work, social work is both an academic discipline and a practice-based profession that promotes social change and development, social cohesion, and the empowerment and liberation of people. Fulfilling this mission places high demands on the personality of social workers and their professional and personal development, to which the cultivation of reflection and self-reflection contributes greatly. In this text, we explore ways in which the ability to reflect and self-reflect can be promoted and deepened in students. The core reflection model and the ALACT model are proposed as suitable concepts for supporting...
Responsibility and Challenge: Psychological Analysis of Covid-19 Information in a Journal of the.Czech Christian Academy.Studies Varia
Pavel Moravec, Lucia Lacková
Caritas et veritas 2025, 15(1):99-114 | DOI: 10.32725/cetv.2025.009
The purpose of the research is to analyse information about Covid-19 as it relates to religion in a Czech periodical Universum in the year 2020. We examine coping strategies to deal with the pandemic situation. Thematic analysis is used as a method. Five main themes are found: Challenge, Searching for the spiritual dimension of the crisis, Use of online space, Ineffective management of the pandemic by the Church, and Balancing different approaches. The disease is presented as a challenge to face and the published information gives the pandemic a spiritual dimension, but without apocalyptic fear. Spirituality has emerged as an adaptive coping mechanism...
Christian Ethics and Nigerian Politics: a Reflection on Philippians 2:3-4Studies Topical
Michael Oyebowale Oyetade, Esther Adeola Femi-Olubiyi
Caritas et veritas 2025, 15(1):82-98 | DOI: 10.32725/cetv.2025.008
Nigerian politics in the 21st century reflects a complex landscape of democratic retrogression, economic challenges, insecurity, and social issues, corruption, poor infrastructure, etc., despite the large numbers of Christians as citizens. Philippians 2:3-4 emphasises key principles such as selflessness, humility, consideration for others, modesty, unpretentiousness, etc., which offer specific guidance for political leaders and Nigerian citizens; thus, this paper aims to reflect on the text in the context of Nigerian politics. The research adopts a qualitative research design and the research methods are historical and exegetical methods, the population...
The Impact of a Parent’s Mental Illness on a Child’s LifeStudies Topical
Silvie Ročovská
Caritas et veritas 2025, 15(1):64-81 | DOI: 10.32725/cetv.2025.007
The aim of this study is to find out what effect does parental mental illness have on the life of the child. A sub-objective of the study is to show the specific problems of the children and the strategies they use to cope with the family situation. The starting point is the concept of parental mental illness as a risk factor in child development. The issue is approached through an ecological approach explaining the interdependence between humans and their environment. The text is developed as a theoretical essay that analyses the literature sources dealing with the issue of serious mental illness of a parent and its impact on the child. Literature...
Rituals of the Last Farewell in Contemporary Czech SocietyStudies Topical
Petr Macek, Tereza Lásková
Caritas et veritas 2025, 15(1):50-63 | DOI: 10.32725/cetv.2025.006
The article is focused on a sub-aspect of the broad topic of the accompaniment of the dying and the bereaved. It presents results of the research into the current ritual practices of the rites of the last farewell. The main aim of the research was to combine methodological perspectives of the anthropological study of rituals with the studies of contemporary (post)modern spirituality. The key research question was aimed at the influence of spirituality on the current ritual praxis. A qualitative probe into the experience of participants for whom accompanying is part of their profession showed strong link between conviction about the importance of rituals...
Religion, Migration, and Political Economy in the USA: from Open-doors to Raids and Sanctuaries for DreamersStudies Topical
Antonio Sánchez-Bayón, Jesús J. Sánchez-Barricarte
Caritas et veritas 2025, 15(1):16-31 | DOI: 10.32725/cetv.2025.004
This is a Political Economy review on religion and migration management in the United States of America (USA). This evaluation in US migrants-citizens relations shows the pendulum effect, moving from integration policies (open doors and melting pot agenda) to official persecution (raids and deportations), with a high social opportunity cost. There has been a split between the State and the civil society, producing civil disobedience and sanctuary network across the country (the citizens protect the migrants from the State). Special attention is paid to the development of the Sanctuary Movement, as an ongoing example of the sociocultural upheaval bringing...