Pope Francis' Potential Impact on American Bioethics

Abstract

Within the first year of his papacy, Pope Francis identified evangelization as his primary pastoral goal. In Evangelii Gaudium Francis portrayed an inductive theology arising from historical consciousness and cultural sensitivity as the basis for contemporary evangelization. Such an inductive theology should provide the basis for a theological ethic that is primarily a social ethic, more clearly related to Catholic social teaching than classical moral theology. The purpose of a theological social ethic is to collaborate with the social and cultural institutions of society to ensure that the goods and services they provide nourish human dignity and authentic human development. A theological ethics focused on the positive responsibilities of social institutions could result in a re-framing of some of the basic questions posed by contemporary American bioethics.