understanding of the strengths and limitations of the various sepsis criteria, while urging prospective comparative studies of the impact of qSOFA vs SIRS and other screening systems on patient outcomes. Vijay Anand, DO Michael Klompas, MD, MPH Chanu Rhee, MD, MPH Boston, MA AFFILIATIONS: From the Department of Medicine (Drs Anand, Klompas, and Rhee), Brigham and Women’s Hospital; and the Department of Population Medicine (Drs Klompas and Rhee), Harvard Medical School/Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute. FINANCIAL/NONFINANCIAL DISCLOSURES: See earlier cited article for author conflicts of interest. CORRESPONDENCE TO: Chanu Rhee, MD, MPH, Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, 401 Park Dr, Ste 401, Boston, MA 02215; e-mail: crhee@bwh.harvard.edu Copyright Ó 2019 American College of Chest Physicians. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chest.2019.09.014 References 1. Anand V, Zhang Z, Kadri SS, Klompas M, Rhee C; CDC Prevention Epicenters Program. Epidemiology of quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment criteria in undifferentiated patients and association with suspected infection and sepsis. Chest. 2019;156(2):289-297. 2. Churpek MM, Snyder A, Han X, et al. Quick sepsis-related organ failure assessment, systemic inflammatory response syndrome, and early warning scores for detecting clinical deterioration in infected patients outside the intensive care unit. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2017;195(7):906-911. 3. Serafim R, Gomes JA, Salluh J, Povoa P. A comparison of the quick- SOFA and systemic inflammatory response syndrome criteria for the diagnosis of sepsis and prediction of mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Chest. 2018;153(3):646-655. 4. Simpson SQ. New sepsis criteria: a change we should not make. Chest. 2016;149(5):1117-1118. 5. Cortes-Puch I, Hartog CS. Opening the debate on the new sepsis definition change is not necessarily progress: revision of the sepsis definition should be based on new scientific insights. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2016;194(1):16-18. Quotes on Brain Death From Estol Incorrectly Attributed to Pope Benedict XVI To the Editor: While researching an article on the social and legal complexities of “brain death,” I came across the literature review in CHEST (October 2014) by Miller et al. 1 In that article (bottom of page 1094), Miller et al wrote “Pope Benedict XVI subsequently expanded on this by stating:” followed by two block quotes (page 1095). The authors also wrote, “Additionally, he stated:” between the two block quotes. Miller et al 1 cited a 2007 article by Estol 2 as the source for the two block quotes. Estol was summarizing the discussions of the 2006 working group meeting of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences (“The Signs of Death”) organized by Bishop Marcelo Sánchez Sorondo. It should be noted that the Pontifical Academy of Sciences is a consultative body to the Holy See with no magisterial authority. Just prior to the two paragraphs quoted by Miller et al, Estol wrote: “The following are some of the concepts and conclusions reached following the oral presentations and discussions.” I wish to set the record straight. These quotes on the issue of brain death are the words of Estol; they are not the words of Pope Benedict XVI. Pope Benedict XVI’s thoughts on organ donation are reflected in his admonition to the participants of the 2008 International Congress organized by the Pontifical Academy for Life, in which he wrote: “The principal criteria of respect for the life of the donator [donor] must always prevail so that the extraction of organs be performed only in the case of his/her true death.” 3 In addition, before he became pope, as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger and author of the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, he wrote: “Before allowing the noble act of organ donation after death, one must verify that the donor is truly dead.” 4 Furthermore, while Cardinal Ratzinger was prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, he wrote: “Today we are witnessing a genuine war of the powerful against the weak. [.] Those who, because of illness or accident, fall into ‘irreversible’ coma, will often be put to death to meet the demand for organ transplants.” 5 Doyen Nguyen, OP, MD, STD Rome, Italy AFFILIATIONS: Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, Theology Department. FINANCIAL/NONFINANCIAL DISCLOSURES: None declared. CORRESPONDENCE TO: Doyen Nguyen, OP, MD, STD, Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, 1 Largo Angelicum, Rome, Italy 00184; e-mail: btursiopsdn@gmail.com Copyright Ó 2019 American College of Chest Physicians. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chest.2019.08.2205 References 1. Miller AC, Ziad-Miller A, Elamin EM. Brain death and Islam: the interface of religion, culture, history, law, and modern medicine. Chest. 2014;146(4):1092-1101. 2. Estol CJ. To live and let die: a brain death symposium at the Pontifical Academy of Science. Int J Stroke. 2007;2(3):227-229. 3. Benedict XVI. Address to participants at an international congress organized by the Pontifical Academy for Life, November 7, 2008. 234 Correspondence [ 157#1 CHEST JANUARY 2020 ]