Archbishop Paglia interviewed. Apologist for the seamless garment, formerly President of the Pontifical Academy for Life and Grand Chancellor of the John Paul II Pontifical Theological Institute

For a long time, he headed the Pontifical Academy for Life – Vincenzo Paglia. Now the archbishop is stepping down and speaks in an interview with katholisch.de about Popes Francis and Leo, today's challenges, and why theology has no future without dialogue.

Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia is one of the Church's most prominent voices on ethical issues. This is why Pope Francis appointed him President of the Pontifical Academy for Life in 2016. In this context, the now 80-year-old repeatedly spoke out on sensitive topics such as abortion and euthanasia and repeatedly criticized the fact that often only a specific aspect of the protection of life is singled out and exploited for a specific purpose. Under his leadership from 2016 to 2025, the range of topics and the personnel composition of the papal think tank for ethical issues became significantly more pluralistic. Paglia, 80, recently retired due to age. In an interview with katholisch.de, he reflects on his time at the helm of the Pontifical Academy for Life and the pontificate of Pope Francis. He also explains why Pope Leo XIV will continue his predecessor's course.

Question: Archbishop Paglia, you were a close collaborator of Pope Francis. How do you assess his pontificate today – and do you believe Pope Leo will continue his vision?

Paglia: The loss of Pope Francis affected me deeply, not only because of the professional relationship, but also because of the personal relationship he blessed me with. I knew I could ask him for advice on any issue. And I received support from him in all phases of my work as President of the Pontifical Academy for Life and as Grand Chancellor of the John Paul II Pontifical Theological Institute. However, I am convinced that Pope Leo will continue Francis' vision. There is great continuity between the pontificates. The Church always faces only one challenge: to proclaim the Gospel in a way that is appropriate to the times in which we live. And with his very choice of name, Pope Leo XIV sets himself on the path of the Church's social teaching.

Question: Until recently, you headed the Pontifical Academy for Life. Under your leadership, the range of topics was expanded, and voices with more liberal positions on bioethical issues were also included. What is your personal assessment?

Paglia: Very positive. Today, the challenges to life are global and affect more than just the beginning or end of existence. We face wars, pandemics, inequalities in social security systems, and hunger is far from being conquered. These are extraordinary and terrible challenges, linked to the need to turn to the women and men of our time to answer the urgent question of the meaning of life. And we absolutely must speak with everyone and, above all, bring the natural sciences and humanities into dialogue with one another. Because a new humanism is needed for a better and more peaceful society. Perhaps we could have done more to clarify and explain that the expansion of the subject areas, as expressly desired by Pope Francis, never meant a departure from the original mission of the Academy, as established by John Paul II.

Curial Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia was President of the Pontifical Academy for Life from 2016 to 2025. Under his leadership, the range of topics and the personnel composition of the papal think tank for ethical issues became significantly more pluralistic.

Question: In the public perception, "protecting life" is often equated with the issue of abortion. You, on the other hand, have advocated for a more comprehensive understanding. How has your view of this changed over the years?

Paglia: Global bioethics is the perspective available to us today. It is no longer the time for a casuistic morality that prescribes concrete behavior. It is the time to reflect on global challenges: We only have one planet to live on, and we must preserve it to bequeath it to future generations. We only have one life in this world, and we must enable all people to live this life ever better and to flourish in a context of justice and human development. I repeat: It is about global bioethics in the spirit of Laudato si' and Fratelli tutti. Two documents that point the way for all of humanity, not just for us Catholics.

Question: Bioethics is facing new challenges – for example, due to developments in artificial intelligence. What do you see as the Church's most urgent task in this field at the moment?

Paglia: To reaffirm that the focus must be on people, not machines, not the profit of a few companies at the expense of respectful development. I'll give you an example from 2019, after an international congress on "robo-ethics" held by the Pontifical Academy for Life. After this congress, I was contacted by Microsoft President Brad Smith. He told me openly that in his world of engineers and IT professionals, who are under constant pressure to innovate, people are increasingly grappling with ethical questions and the ethical consequences of introducing sophisticated technologies into the market – technologies that can be used to control and manipulate people. And he told me he wanted to enter into dialogue with the Church, with human wisdom, and with the ethical perspective of religion.

Question: Did any concrete ideas follow from this?

Paglia: This gave rise to the idea of ​​the "Rome Call for AI Ethics," launched in 2020 by the Pontifical Academy for Life and initially signed by Microsoft, IBM, the Food and Agriculture Organization, and the Italian government. It's a simple document with principles that states: The development of artificial intelligence products must be oriented from the outset—by design—to the common good, not to exploitation. In five years, the call has been signed by hundreds of Latin American universities, other companies like Cisco, Jewish and Muslim communities, and Asian religions. This is what the Church can do for genuine human development.

"Today, the challenges to life are global and concern not only the beginning or end of existence." —Quote: Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia

Question: How far can—or should—the dialogue with other scientific disciplines go?

Paglia: There is no "how far." We must engage in dialogue. Pope Francis has told us this time and again – for example, when he referred to the work of the French Jesuit and anthropologist Teilhard de Chardin. There is no boundary between science and faith. There is only continuous dialogue.

Question: What follows from this?

Paglia: We need a new humanism, a forward-looking impulse that says: an end to wars and conflicts, yes, to a full life for everyone. We need an alliance of all disciplines. In short: a new "universitas scientiarum," from which the Renaissance once emerged. I would like to personally commit myself to this goal.

Question: Many believers perceive the Church's moral teachings as remote from life or too rigid. What do you say to those who demand more empathy and realism?

Paglia: In recent years, we have worked to overcome distances. I'm thinking specifically of the book La Gioia della Vita ("The Joy of Life"), which has been published in Italian, French, and Spanish and will soon be published in other languages. In it, a group of theologians has outlined a global vision of what theological ethics is today and how to respond to ethical questions without preconceived answers, but rather through constant inquiry. And I'm thinking of the book Etica Teologica della Vita ("Theological Ethics of Life"), which summarizes the results of a conference in which scholars and theologians read, commented on, and discussed La Gioia della Vita from different perspectives. Pope Francis told us that one cannot practice theology with a "no" in mind. Theologians must work, reflect, and engage in dialogue to contribute to the further development of the Magisterium.

Cathcon:  Impossible to run family life or a school lesson without saying "no" on occasion let alone the Church of God, Mother and Teacher of all nations.

Question: In this context, what do you expect from the next generation of theologians and ethicists?

Paglia: I wish them to continue, knowing that there will be criticism and misunderstandings. Unfortunately, there is a part of the Catholic world that is perhaps afraid to move forward. But in theology, and moral theology in particular, there must be constant research. The Gospel remains the same, but times are changing and we must look to them for the answers to today's questions. For example: What does theology say in the face of wars, conflicts, declining birth rates, injustices, inequalities? Are these willed by God, as some Protestant movements believe? Or are they the result of the short-sightedness and greed of us humans? And what does the Gospel tell us about this? I think of the Good Samaritan and what we must do towards migrants. I think of the theme of the Last Judgement, as described in the Gospel of Matthew, and of the many poor, imprisoned, marginalised and hungry people of today and of all times. The Church is challenged on these fronts. But without forgetting the central point of our proclamation - the last sentence of the creed: I believe in the resurrection of the dead and eternal life. Without this belief, there is no Christian view of life.

Source

Background on the Seamless Garment doctrine