Praying the Rosary is linked to moderate positive outcomes, including reduced depression, increased empathy, and lower religious struggle, based on an international sample from Italy, Poland, and Spain. The network analysis identified religiosity and religious struggle as central factors with the most connections to other variables. Qualitative responses described the prayer as a source of inner peace and a coping mechanism during distress. The study suggests that Rosary prayer may offer similar benefits to other forms of meditation and prayer, though correlations were moderate.
Pilgrimage offers a unique perspective on transformations in religious practice, from traditional spiritual journeys to modern, technology-assisted routes organized by travel agencies. Using a Thomistic structure of argumentation, the study examines whether AI can participate in pilgrimage spiritually, whether eliminating hardship diminishes its transformative potential, and whether cyberpilgrimage is a legitimate alternative to physical pilgrimage. Drawing on classical metaphysics and contemporary AI research, the argument holds that AI, lacking a rational soul, free will, and an intrinsic orientation toward transcendence, cannot be considered homo viator. Removing physical hardship may undermine ascetic and transformative dimensions. Cyberpilgrimage, while psychologically engaging, does not replace the sacramental and embodied nature of spiritual journeys.