Why an Atheist Doctor Was Invited to the Vatican

Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel — one of the principal architects of modern American healthcare policy — was recently invited to the Vatican to address the Pontifical Academy for Life.In this conversation, recorded at Catholic News Service in Rome, he reflects on his childhood in Chicago, his role advising U.S. presidents, his views on euthanasia and end-of-life care, and why his central message — especially fitting for Lent — is disarmingly simple: remember that you are going to die.His invitation to the Vatican underscores a larger dynamic — how the Church navigates its engagement with secular expertise, and how encounters between belief and unbelief can deepen moral discernment in a fragmented age.Guest bio:Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel is a physician, oncologist, and bioethicist widely regarded as one of the principal architects of modern American healthcare policy. A longtime professor at the University of Pennsylvania, he has shaped national debates on medical ethics, end-of-life care, and health system reform for more than three decades.