de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture

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de Nicola Center to Cohost Two-Part Webinar on Responses to Life-Limiting Prenatal Diagnoses

The Catholic Church has long stood for the sanctity of every human life from the moment of conception until natural death, and opposes any practice which directly intends the death of an infant or neglects to provide standard care before or after birth. This two-part webinar series (October 19 & November 3) will bring together national experts to discuss concerns regarding the absence of accurate prognostic information available to parents when a prenatal diagnosis is provided, the impact of prenatal diagnosis on perinatal palliative care, and guidance regarding Catholic ethics.

Learn more and register for the webinar.

Notre Dame to Present 2027 Evangelium Vitae Medal to the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne

The de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture is proud to announce that the sixteenth annual Notre Dame Evangelium Vitae Medal, the nation’s most important award for heroes of the pro-life movement, will be awarded to the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne. The medal will be presented to the mother superior, Mother Marie Edward, O.P., on behalf of the Sisters at a special Mass and dinner at the University of Notre Dame on Saturday, April 24, 2027.

Learn more about the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne and the Evangelium Vitae Medal presentation here.

26th Annual Notre Dame Fall Conference: “But Where Can She Be Found? Wisdom From Age to Age”

The de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture’s 26th annual Fall Conference (October 1–3, 2026) discussed wisdom across the ages. Drawing on traditions across the disciplines including philosophy, theology, ethics, law, history, and the natural and social sciences, as well as the creative domains of literature, music, film, theater, and the visual arts, the conference engaged a wide range of questions and themes. Recorded sessions will soon appear on our YouTube channel.

de Nicola Center Hosts Flash Panel on Pope Leo XIV’s Encyclical on Human Dignity in the Age of AI

On May 26, 2026, the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture hosted a flash panel of Notre Dame experts discussing the highly-anticipated first encyclical from Pope Leo XIV, ”Magnifica Humanitas: On the Protection of Human Dignity in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.” Paolo Carozza (Notre Dame Law School), Paul Scherz (Department of Theology), and Rev. John Paul Kimes (Notre Dame Law School) explored the content and implications of the Holy Father’s reflection on the rise of artificial intelligence, which he has called “another industrial revolution . . . that pose[s] new challenges for the defense of human dignity, justice and labor.”

Watch the recording of the panel discussion on our YouTube channel.

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All of our work at the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture is aimed at one goal: to share the richness of the Catholic moral and intellectual tradition through teaching, research, and dialogue, at the highest level and across a range of disciplines. In so doing, we enrich Notre Dame’s distinctive intellectual ecology—and we bring the university’s voice into the academic and public conversations concerning the most vital and complex matters of ethics, literature, art, music, social sciences, philosophy, theology, history, political theory, applied and theoretical science, public policy, and law. For more information on how to support the work of the de Nicola Center, visit our support page.

Ethics and Culture Cast

Our podcast features lively conversations with fellows, scholars, and friends of the de Nicola Center. Episodes released every other Thursday during the academic year. Suggestions and feedback welcome at cecpodcast@nd.edu.

Podcast Episode List