Writer & Independent Researcher
Catholic lay writer and independent researcher based in Istanbul, working at the intersection of Catholic moral theology, bioethics, Christian–Muslim relations, and ecclesial life.
Writings
Research Focus
Death determination, organ donation, the Dead Donor Rule, moral certainty, and institutional responsibility.
Classical kalām, taḥrīf discourse, Muslim reception of St Paul, and frameworks for honest theological disagreement.
Augustine, Aquinas, John Chrysostom, synodality, pastoral authority, and the renewal of ecclesial life.
Bioethics Research
This research asks how Catholic moral theology can speak truthfully about death, bodily integrity, institutional trust, and the ethics of organ donation in an age of rapidly changing procurement protocols.
The moral and theological foundations of the Dead Donor Rule, and the challenges posed by emerging organ procurement protocols in light of Catholic teaching.
A critical examination of brain death criteria in Catholic moral theology, with attention to epistemic responsibility and the principle of caution.
Ethical analysis of NRP protocols and their compatibility with Catholic teaching on the determination of death and the integrity of organ donation.
Peer-Reviewed Publications in Bioethics
2026Profile
Languages
Of publication
Working
Education
About
Ersun Augustinus Kayra is a Catholic lay writer and independent researcher based in Istanbul. His work explores Catholic moral theology, bioethics, Christian–Muslim relations, and the renewal of ecclesial life.
His peer-reviewed research has appeared in Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics and SOTER, with particular attention to death determination, organ donation, the Dead Donor Rule, and moral certainty. His essays and journalism have appeared in international Catholic and ecumenical outlets including Plough, Stimmen der Zeit, National Catholic Reporter, Le Devoir, Internazionale, and Vida Nueva Digital.
Across academic and essayistic forms, his work seeks to bring patristic ressourcement, Catholic social thought, and pastoral realism into conversation with contemporary questions of vulnerability, trust, and public life.
Media
Ersun Augustinus Kayra — Theological Moral Bioethics Enquiry
Ongoing Research
A study of St Paul, taḥrīf discourse, and the ethics of Christian–Muslim disagreement, examining how polemical traditions can be read with doctrinal clarity, historical seriousness, and intellectual charity.
An exploration of convergences and divergences between Islamic environmental ethics grounded in tawḥīd and Catholic ecological theology in the tradition of Laudato Si’.
Academic Journal (TBD)
Service & Public Engagement
Led home visits, accompaniment, and material-assistance initiatives serving 600+ families annually in Türkiye. Founded and directed two aid associations over twelve years.
Member of the Catholic Media Association (CMA), the professional organisation for Catholic journalists, writers, and media professionals. Committed to truthful, mission-driven communication in service of the Church and the wider public.
Editorial collaboration and public writing on bioethics, moral theology, and ecclesial life for Catholic and ecumenical media.
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