Pinckaers was born in Liege, Belgium in 1925. He entered the Order of Dominicans in 1945. After the novitiate, Servais obtained the rank of reader studying theology in Studium of Sarte with Huy. He was ordained in 1951 and received a Ph.D. from the Angelicum of Rome in 1952. He taught moral theology from 1952 to 1965 in Belgium, and from 1965 to 1973 exerted pastoral ministry with the convent of Dominican of Leige. In 1973, he began teaching at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, becoming a full professor of moral theology in 1980 and a senior member of the faculty of theology in 1989 until 1991. He has been a member of the International Theological Commission since 1992. His most recent books include L'Evangile et la Morale (1989) and La Morale Catholique (1991).

Recognized by scholars worldwide as one of the most important books in the field of moral theology, this book returns Christian ethics to its sources: the Gospel and the Holy Spirit. This book remains one of the most important and formidable works of moral theology of the 20th century.