An Address to Doctors by Pope Francis (15 November 2014): A Doctrinal Mistake and a Lot of Common Sense Presented with Savoir-Faire

The general reaction of the press to Pope Francis’ Address to Doctors has been generally very positive. However, the address is in many ways quite puzzling. Among other things, it contains a doctrinal error in describ- ing abortion as a scientific problem, not a philosophical problem. It also has a strikingly secular character. In all, Pope Francis’ Address is infe- rior in substance to Pope John Paul II’s Evangelium Vitae, with which it has been compared. Pope Francis often relies on moral intuitions and secular argument, while showing again his propensity to desacralize theological discourse: the pope avoids focusing on transcendent con- cerns and realities. Pope Francis’ Address presents the Roman Catholic community with opinions as one among others, and not as an institu- tion called by God to preach the truth. The Address is also articulated in the terms of common language, avoiding the technical distinctions of theology and engaging unclear terms such as “playing with life.”