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Amid conflicting media claims about the science and ethics of vaccines, we’re going to explore what the Catholic Church teaches about the ethics of vaccination and vaccine requirements. When – if ever - is a Catholic required to get vaccinated? When might a Catholic claim a religious or ethical conscience objection to vaccination? Can officially sponsored ministries of the Catholic Church – such as healthcare, schools and universities, and social service organizations – require people to be vaccinated as a condition of employment or admission to schools?  These are just some of the questions we will explore. In this episode of Ethics on Call we flip the script as Tom interviews our Executive Director, Dan Daly. Dan has been leading the Center’s recent work on vaccines after we received a request from a diocese in the U.S. to provide research to inform their Catholic schools' vaccination policies amidst requests for more exemptions. -------------------------------- The following Vatican and USCCB documents deal with vaccines and are listed in chronological order of publication: Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, “Instruction Dignitas Personae on Certain Bioethical Questions,” (2008): https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20081208_dignitas-personae_en.html Pontifical Academy for Life, “Note on Italian Vaccine Issue,” (July 31, 2017): https://www.horeb.org/fileadmin/eigene_dateien/Neue_Seite/2020_/Bilder/Unterseiten/Impfseite/note-vaccini.pdf. Pontifical Academy for Life, “Moral Reflections on Vaccines Prepared from Cells Derived from Aborted Human Foetuses,” The Linacre Quarterly 86, nos. 2–3 (2019): 182–87. https://doi.org/10.1177/0024363919855896. Chairmen of the Committee on Doctrine and the Committee on Pro-Life Activities and United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, “Moral Considerations Regarding the New Covid-19 Vaccines,” (December 11, 2020): https://www.usccb.org/resources/moral-considerations-covid-vaccines.pdf Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, “Note on the Morality of Using Some Anti-Covid-19 Vaccines,” (December 21, 2020): https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20201221_nota-vaccini-anticovid_en.html#_ftnref3. -------------------------------------- Fact Check: For more information about how vaccines are derived please see the following resources: UK Health Security Agency, “Guide to the use of human and animal products in vaccines,” March 13, 2023: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/use-of-human-and-animal-products-in-vaccines/guide-to-the-use-of-human-and-animal-products-in-vaccines Jianmei Li, Yixin Liu, Jie Dai, et al., “mRNA Vaccines: Current Applications and Future Directions,” MedComm 6, no. 11 (2025): e70434. https://doi.org/10.1002/mco2.70434. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Cell-Based Flu Vaccines,” August 25, 2023: https://www.cdc.gov/flu/vaccine-types/cell-based.html Subscribe to Ethics on Call on YouTube, Spotify, Apple or Simplecast. Visit our website, theologyandethics.org, for more information on the Center for Theology & Ethics in Catholic Health.

In this crossover episode, Dan and Tom are interviewed by Brian Reardon (VP of Communications & Marketing for CHA) and Josh Matejka (Executive Producer and Director of Creative Services at CHA), co-hosts of the "Health Calls" podcast. This is the first episode of their new Health Reimagined season where they explore how moral imagination can help transform healthcare across the United States by responding creatively to today’s most pressing challenges.  Drawing on Catholic social teaching, whole-person care, spiritual practices, and the healing ministry of Jesus, the conversation examines how leaders can integrate technical solutions while also imagining new possibilities that promote human flourishing, uphold human dignity, and strengthen the common good. Dan and Tom explain how moral imagination bridges theology and practice, helping organizations address emerging questions around AI, access to care, partnerships, and healthcare ethics. They also discuss the work of the Center and preview the work ahead of them in 2026 and 2027, including academic papers, conference visits, and podcasts. Subscribe to Ethics on Call on YouTube, Spotify, Apple or Simplecast. Visit our website, theologyandethics.org, for more information on the Center for Theology & Ethics in Catholic Health.

In this episode of Ethics on Call, Dan and Tom examine Pope Leo XIV’s new encyclical, Magnifica humanitas, exploring its ethical vision for artificial intelligence and its implications for Catholic healthcare. Through interviews with theologian Nichole Flores, Ph.D. (Associate Professor Religious Studies at the University of Virginia) and AI leader Byron Yount, Ph.D. (Chief Data and Artificial Intelligence Officer and VP of Transformation Operations at Mercy), the conversation highlights key themes such as the dignity of human work, the risks of data exploitation, and the moral responsibility to prioritize the vulnerable.  The episode situates AI within the broader tradition of Catholic social teaching, challenging listeners to move beyond purely technical questions and engage deeper concerns about human flourishing, solidarity, and the common good. With practical insights and theological depth, this discussion invites healthcare leaders and practitioners to discern how AI can enhance, not diminish, the human person and the healing mission at the heart of Catholic healthcare.  Links to the text of the encyclical and information about our guests can be found here:  https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/encyclicals/documents/20260515-magnifica-humanitas.html https://religiousstudies.as.virginia.edu/nichole-m-flores  https://www.mercy.net/about/leadership/byron-yount/ Subscribe to Ethics on Call on YouTube, Spotify, Apple or Simplecast. Visit our website, theologyandethics.org, for more information on the Center for Theology & Ethics in Catholic Health.

This episode features the opening keynote address from Monsignor Renzo Pegoraro, President of the Pontifical Academy for Life, at the conference hosted by the Center on "AI and Medicine: Artificial Intelligence, Authentic Mercy: Navigating AI Ethics in Catholic Health," recorded live at Boston College on March 20, 2026.    Monsignor Pegoraro's talk is titled "AI and Medicine: The Challenge of Human Dignity," and he outlines the history of the Vatican's engagement with the ethics of AI, and the main principles that have emerged from that work to guide its use in health care.   His keynote is followed by two respondents who address the topic of "Catholic and Secular AI Ethics in Dialogue."  Vardit Ravitsky, Ph.D., President & CEO of the Hastings Center Phoebe L. Yang, J.D., Independent Board Member (GE Healthcare, CommonSpirit Health, Doximity); Stanford University Lecturer in Law; Former GM, AWS Healthcare Dan and Tom conclude with very brief reflections and takeaways from these conversations for those engaged in the work of AI in health care.   We at the Center for Theology & Ethics in Catholic Health extend our gratitude to Boston College Institute for Liberal Arts for co-hosting the conference.   Links to the Rome Call can be found here: https://www.romecall.org/ Subscribe to Ethics on Call on YouTube, Spotify, Apple or Simplecast. Visit our website, theologyandethics.org, for more information on the Center for Theology & Ethics in Catholic Health.

What happens when some of the nation’s leading voices in AI ethics, medicine, theology, and health care leadership come together to tackle one of the most urgent questions of our time? In this special episode of Ethics on Call, Dan moderates a powerful roundtable conversation recorded live at the conference: Artificial Intelligence, Authentic Mercy: Navigating AI Ethics in Catholic Health (Boston College | March 20–21, 2026) Joining the discussion: Brian Anderson, MD — CEO, CHAI Sr. Ilia Delio, OSF, Ph.D. — Villanova University Aimee Milliken, Ph.D., RN, HEC-C — Boston College Michael Pencina, Ph.D. — Chief AI Scientist, UnitedHealth Group Daniel J. Roth, MD — EVP & COO, Trinity Health Dan and Tom also unpack several key takeaways from the conversation, including what Catholic healthcare can contribute to the national AI conversation. How do we ensure AI advances human dignity? What does authentic mercy look like in a digital age? How should Catholic health systems lead responsibly? Many conference participants also endorsed a statement outlining general norms for AI use in Catholic health care. Subscribe to Ethics on Call on YouTube, Spotify, Apple or Simplecast. Visit our website, theologyandethics.org, for more information on the Center for Theology & Ethics in Catholic Health.

In this episode, Dan and Tom interview Dr. Mark Kuczewski about his recent work advocating for immigrant patients during the ongoing federal immigration enforcement surge. They discuss the following: Why the Church has always affirmed the universal human dignity and rights of immigrants and migrants (regardless of legal status) Ways for health professionals to advocate for immigrant patients The need to revise hospitals' forensic patient policies, and Why and how bioethicists are called to speak prophetically when immigrant patients are suffering. Dr. Kuczewski is the Fr. Michael English Professor of Medical Ethics and Director of the Neiswanger Institute for Bioethics and Health Policy at Loyola University Chicago, a past president of the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities (ASBH), and a Fellow of the Hastings Center.  Below are links to the resources and publications referenced in this episode: Sanctuary Doctoring Toolkit - https://www.luc.edu/stritch/bioethics/medicaleducation/sanctuarydoctor/ Kuczewski M, Blair A, Nguyen T, Garcia-Izaguirre ML, Dober GJ, “When ICE Brings You the Patient . . . Hospitals Must Stop Victimizing Forensic Patients,” American Journal of Bioethics, Vol. 26, no. 3 (March 12, 2026): 4-6. https://doi.org/10.1080/15265161.2026.2623853 Maalouf M, Blair A, Kuczewski M, “Treating Fear: Steps to Help Your Immigrant Patients,” Health Progress, Vol. 106, no. 4 (2025): 9-14, 2025. https://www.chausa.org/news-and-publications/publications/health-progress/archives/fall-2025/treating-fear--steps-to-help-your-immigrant-patients Catholic Health Association, USCCB, & Catholic Charities, Human Dignity is Not Dependent on a Person's Citizenship or Immigration Status (January 23, 2025): https://www.usccb.org/news/2025/human-dignity-not-dependent-persons-citizenship-or-immigration-status?utm_source=hootsuite&utm_medium=twitter&utm_term= President Ronald Wilson Reagan, “Farewell Address to the Nation,” January 11, 1989. https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/archives/speech/farewell-address-nation Zeke Hernandez, The Truth About Immigration: Why Successful Societies Welcome Newcomers (St. Martin’s Publishing Group, 2024). https://zekehernandez.net/book/ Subscribe to Ethics on Call on YouTube, Spotify, Apple or Simplecast. Visit our website, theologyandethics.org, for more information on the Center for Theology & Ethics in Catholic Health.

Dan and Tom interview four leaders in Catholic health on the newly promulgated 7th edition of ERDs.  They discuss the history of the ERDs, how they are being implemented by ethicists, mission leaders, and health care professionals, and highlight the significance of several developments in the 7th edition. They also identify how these directives enable Catholic health care to promote the dignity and flourishing of vulnerable patients, such as women and mothers, persons experiencing gender dysphoria, and patients at the end of life. Our guests on this episode include: Fr Charlie Bouchard, OP, STD (Catholic University of America) Senior Fellow and adjunct Professor in Ethics at Aquinas Institute of Theology, St Louis, MO Former VP for Theological Education, Ascension Health and Senior Director, Ethics and Sponsorship, CHA   Amy Hertweck-Warner, DO, MA, HEC-C Director, Ethics Mercy St. Louis   Jenna Speckart, D.Be, MA (Theology) Vice President Mission & Ethics Operations, Mercy   Dr. Anitha Rayani, MD, Palliative Care SSM Health-St. Joseph’s Hospital, St. Charles, MO   Below is a link to the article we referred to in this episode: Ron Hamel, “100th Anniversary - The Ethical and Religious Directives: Looking Back to Move Forward,” Health Progress (2019)   Subscribe to Ethics on Call on YouTube, Spotify, Apple or Simplecast. Visit our website, theologyandethics.org, for more information on the Center for Theology & Ethics in Catholic Health.

In November 2025, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops voted to approve a new 7th Edition of the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services.  In this episode, Dan and Tom talk with Nathaniel Blanton Hibner, Ph.D., Senior Director of Ethics at the Catholic Health Association, who discusses the process by which this edition was developed over the past four years.   Following the interview, Dan and Tom provide their analysis of the new text, first exploring what they see as the four "under the radar" developments. They then turn to the four significant developments of the 7th edition, with special attention to the new directives on care for patients experiencing gender dysphoria.   Links to the documents and articles noted in the podcast can be found below: The Ethical and Religious Directors for Catholic Health Care Services Edmund D. Pellegrino, "The Commodification of Medical and Health Care: The Moral Consequences of a Paradigm Shift from a Professional to a Market Ethic," in Pellegrino's Clinical Bioethics: A Compendium, Edited by G. Kevin Donovan, David G. Miller, and Claudia Ruiz Sotomayor (Catholic University of America Press, 2025): 387 - 408. National Institute on Aging, "What Are Palliative Care and Hospice Care?" (2021) Ron Hamel, "Ethics - Palliative Care - Stealth Euthanasia?", Health Progress (January-February 2014) Subscribe to Ethics on Call on YouTube, Spotify, Apple or Simplecast. Visit our website, theologyandethics.org, for more information on the Center for Theology & Ethics in Catholic Health.

Ethicists, clinicians, and administrators share a sincere commitment to building health care ministries that serve those in need and strengthen the social conditions that support healthy communities. But how can we achieve this without a clear account of what social structures and culture are, how they change, and—most importantly—how they can help us provide the best care, especially to those who are most poor and vulnerable? In this episode Dan and Tom begin by reviewing the ways that critical realist social theory has contributed to a Christian ethical analysis of social structures and culture.  Then they consider two recent articles that apply these insights to clinical and bioethics, and to building healthy hospital cultures. The articles and resources discussed in this episode can be found below: Finn, Daniel K. “Ch. 4: Social Structures,” in Moral Agency Within Social Structures and Culture: A Primer on Critical Realism for Christian Ethics. Edited by Daniel K. Finn. Georgetown University Press. 2020: 29-41. Kolmes, Sara, Ariana Thompson-Lastad, Kevin Dirksen, Kayla Tabari, and Seth M. Holmes. “Incorporating Structural Competency into Clinical Ethics: Piloting New Bioethics Education.” Journal of Clinical Ethics, Vol. 26, No. 2 (2025): 158-166. https://doi.org/10.1086 /734776 Miller, Ireland. “Building an Ethical Hospital Culture: Integrating Ethics into Organizational Frameworks in Healthcare.” Journal of Health Ethics & Administration, Vol. 11, No. 3 (2025): 14-24.  https://doi.org/10.22461/jhea.6.7164   “Case Studies in Social Medicine,” New England Journal of Medicine, Massachusetts Medical Society, https://www.nejm.org/case-studies-in-social-medicine.  Subscribe to Ethics on Call on YouTube, Spotify, Apple or Simplecast. Visit our website, theologyandethics.org, for more information on the Center for Theology & Ethics in Catholic Health.

This episode includes three interviews recorded live from the floor of the exhibit hall of the ASBH annual conference in October 2025 with the following bioethicists: Michael McCarthy, Associate Professor and the Graduate Program Director for Healthcare Mission Leadership at Loyola University ChicagoLaura Webster, Northwest Region Vice President of Ethics at Common Spirit Health; andJason Eberl, the Mader Chair in Health Care Ethics at St. Louis University. Dan and Tom also discuss their takeaways and learnings from some of the papers and sessions at the conference, summarize the trends they see reflected in the field of bioethics today, and consider their implications for the Catholic health ministry. You can find the article, books, and authors cited in this episode below: Jerome Adams, M.D. Crisis and Chaos: Lessons from the Front Lines of the War Against COVID-19. Post Hill Press. 2023.  Dennis Gonzalez and Becket Gremmels. "Mission — Moving Beyond 'No Margin, No Mission' in Catholic Health Care." Health Progress (Spring 2025). Rosemary Garland-Thomson Harold Braswell Miguel Romero Devan Stahl Gerald McKenny Alasdair MacIntyre. Dependent Rational Animals: Why Humans Need the Virtues. Open Court. 1999. Subscribe to Ethics on Call on YouTube, Spotify, Apple or Simplecast. Visit our website, theologyandethics.org, for more information on the Center for Theology & Ethics in Catholic Health.

Dan and Tom discuss Pope Leo XIV’s new apostolic exhortation, Dilexi te. They place the document in its context, explore its content and structure, and analyze its relevance for Catholic health care.  Read Dilexi te here. Subscribe to Ethics on Call on YouTube, Spotify, Apple or Simplecast. Visit our website, theologyandethics.org, for more information on the Center for Theology & Ethics in Catholic Health.

In this episode of Ethics on Call, Dan and Tom discuss the recent controversy in Catholic circles surrounding the determination of death by neurologic criteria (DNC). The episode features an interview with Dr. Sherri Bracksick, a neuro-intensivist who regularly assesses patients for DNC. Dan and Tom discuss the various options that Catholic health organizations have and offer their own moral analysis of the current American Academy of Neurology guideline.   You can find articles cited in this episode below: Center for Theology and Ethics in Catholic Health, "Position Statement: Recent Controversies in Catholic Ethics Regarding the Determination of Death by Neurological Criteria" Jason T. Eberl. "What is the True Death of a Human Being?" in 50 Years of Philosophy and Medicine. Edited byLisa M. Rasmussen and Soren Holm.  Springer Nature. 2025: 181 - 199.  Daniel Sulmasy, et al., "A Biophilosophical Approach to the Determination of Brain Death," CHEST Journal, Vol. 165, Issue 4 (April 2024): 959-966. "A Definition of Irreversible Coma: Report of the Ad Hoc Committee of the Harvard Medical School to Examine the Definition of Brain Death," JAMA, Vol. 205, No. 6 (1968). National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws, "Uniform Determination of Death Act" (1980). David M. Greer, et al, "Pediatric and Adult Brain Death/Death by Neurologic Criteria Consensus Guideline: Report of the AAN Guidelines Subcommittee, AAP, CNS, and SCCM," Neurology (October 11, 2023). Joseph M. Eble, MD, John A. Di Camillo, and Peter J. Colosi. "Catholics United on Brain Death and Organ Donation: A Call to Action," National Catholic Bioethics Quarterly, Vol. 24, Issue 1 (Spring 2024). Subscribe to Ethics on Call on YouTube, Spotify, Apple or Simplecast. Visit our website, theologyandethics.org, for more information on the Center for Theology & Ethics in Catholic Health.

In the new episode of Ethics on Call, hosts Dan Daly and Tom Bushlack discuss recent work in theology on mental health. They discuss theologically informed ways of looking at grief, trauma, depression, and anxiety. The work they consider contends that mental health disorders and suffering are often both medical and existential conditions.  You can find the articles and books discussed in this episode listed below: James Keenan, “Grief as Epiphanous,” Theological Studies Stephanie C. Edwards, “Christian Ethics, Trauma, and Dust in the Blood:  Moving Toward Enfleshed Counter-Memory,” Journal of Moral Theology Jessica Coblentz, Dust in the Blood: A Theology of Life with Depression Marc Zao-Sanders, “How People are Really Using Gen AI in 2025,” Harvard Business Review Gilmar Gutierrez, et al., “Examining the role of AI technology in online mental healthcare: opportunities, challenges, and implications, a mixed-methods review,” Frontiers in Psychology Subscribe to Ethics on Call on YouTube, Spotify, Apple or Simplecast. Visit our website, theologyandethics.org, for more information on the Center for Theology & Ethics in Catholic Health.

In the latest episode of Ethics on Call, hosts Dan Daly, Executive Director of the Center for Theology and Ethics in Catholic Health, and Tom Bushlack, Senior Director of the Center, discuss Antiqua et nova, a January 2025 doctrinal note on artificial intelligence issued by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and the Dicastery for Culture and Education. Dan and Tom discuss the document's purpose and main arguments and connect it to Catholic health.  Subscribe to Ethics on Call on YouTube, Spotify, Apple or Simplecast. Visit our website, theologyandethics.org, for more information on the Center for Theology & Ethics in Catholic Health.

In episode two of Ethics on Call, hosts Dan Daly, Executive Director of the Center for Theology and Ethics in Catholic Health, and Tom Bushlack, Senior Director of the Center, discuss the theological and ethical legacy of Pope Francis in light of his recent passing. Subscribe to Ethics on Call on YouTube, Spotify, Apple or Simplecast. Visit our website, theologyandethics.org, for more information on the Center for Theology & Ethics in Catholic Health.