Thiel was born on 7 May 1957 in Etting, Moselle, France.[7][8][6] She studied Medicine[2] at the University of Strasbourg and became an intern at the Roman Catholic Diocese of Nancy in 1980.[citation needed] She obtained her PhD in medicine in 1983 from Strasbourg, followed by a PhD in Catholic Theology from the University of Metz in 1989. Her second doctoral thesis was called "Au clair obscur de la vie: pour un statut de l'embryon humain" (In the chiaroscuro of life: Status of the human embryo).[9][6][10][2] This was given très honorable avec félicitations by the jury. She then began teaching ethics and bioethics at Metz and Nancy;[citation needed] at Metz, she became a maître de conférence.[10][6] While a lecturer,[citation needed] she finished a diploma in European Health Policies in 1993 at the Seminary in Nancy, followed by a Habilitation in Ethics and Moral Theology at University of Strasbourg in 1998.[6] Her habilitation thesis was called "Atouts de l'éthique systématique" (Assets of Systematic Ethics), which would inform her academic focus moving forward.[citation needed]
Career
Thiel joined the Faculty of Catholic Theology at Strasbourg in 1999, where she quickly established an interdisciplinary program in ethics.[6][2][11] A master's degree in ethics was also started, with her serving as director.[6][11] This research formed the basis for[citation needed] the European Centre for Studies and Research in Ethics (CEERE), which she founded in 2005 in connection to Strasbourg's Faculty of Social Sciences.[11][4]
Her contacts and research activities in collaboration with Yale University in the United States led Thiel to begin a summer school on interdisciplinary European Ethics in the summer of 2013. The summer school drew 41 students from 22 countries over five continents.[citation needed]
Thiel has been studying sexual abuse in the Catholic Church since the 1990s. Her work as a physician and a theologian meant she was approached by sexual abuse victims; this inspired her to look more deeply at the issue.[12][4][11] In 2017, her work led Pope Francis to appoint her a member of the Pontifical Academy for Life as part of the organisation's reform. New statues were introduced to change the lifetime membership into 5-year renewable terms, and to allow appointments to people regardless of religion.[8] She has also advised the French Episcopal Conference for more than 20 years in its efforts to fight sexual abuse within the Church.[12] In 2018, she published a 700-page, in-depth study on sexual abuse of minors within the Catholic Church. This book is called The Catholic Church facing sexual abuse and was published by Bayard Presse.[2][4] Throughout her studies, she has stressed the importance of supporting and believing victims of sexual abuse, and uses their accounts in her writing.[4]
Thiel started the Journées Internationales d'Ethique (International Symposium on Ethics) in Strasbourg in about 2008.[6][11] She also edits the CEERE newsletter.[citation needed] In addition to her books, she has published articles in several international journals.[12] Thiel teaches and writes in English, German, and French. Though she mainly teaches in France, she has also taught in the United States, Canada, and Germany.[12]
Throughout her work at the intersection of ethics and the Church, she has stepped forward to share her beliefs: she has criticised the Church's ban on contraceptives[13] and classifying homosexuality as a sin,[14] and supported vaccines to help prevent the COVID-19 pandemic.[15] Thiel believes the Church has to be adaptive in the face of changing issues and firmly believes the Church does not intend to be "behind the times."[16] She has also expressed support for assisted suicide, for which she was criticised by other Pontifical Academy members.[17]
Honours and awards
Year
Award
Issuing body
Notes
Ref
2003
Maurice Rapin Prize
Book: Où va la médecine? Sens des représentations et pratiques médicales
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