Linking faith and health: spiritual care in the ethiopian orthodox tewahedo church and its contribution to SDG 3

Abstract

The research investigates the importance of spiritual care practices within the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (EOTC) regarding well-being along with insights for Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG 3). The research analyzed the real experiences of 15 participants made up of clergy members along with ordinary church members through a qualitative phenomenological approach. The combination of prayer with rituals and community backing and traditional healing methods creates an emotional and psychological resilience system according to research findings. The research demonstrates how EOTC delivers distinct benefits for complete health while providing knowledge for developing culturally appropriate health services and policies. The proposed strategy includes two components: first, system-wide integration of spiritual care practices and second, development of faith-based health models within communities.