Posted on 08/10/2021 10:55:35 AM PDT by Marchmain
As more institutions enact COVID-19 vaccination mandates, Catholic leaders are divided over whether or not the faithful can seek religious exemptions from the orders.
On Aug. 6, the Catholic bishops of Colorado published a letter pushing back against the mandates, writing that they violate “personal freedoms of conscience and expression,” and embedded a template letter for parishioners to get an exemption signature from their pastor.
Meanwhile, priests in the Archdiocese of New York were advised in a memo from the archdiocese on July 30 to not get involved in religious exemptions from COVID-19 vaccination mandates because doing so would be “acting in contradiction to the directives of the pope.”
The memo, sent by Msgr. Joseph LaMorte, archdiocesan vicar general, and John Cahill, archdiocesan chancellor, also stated that “there is no basis for a priest to issue a religious exemption to the vaccine.”
The questions around the morality of getting a COVID-19 vaccine is often tied to their connection to abortion-derived cell lines.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has encouraged Catholics to get the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine because an abortion-derived cell line was used for testing them, but not in their production. Whereas, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine was developed, tested and produced with abortion-derived cell lines. However, the USCCB guidance states it is morally acceptable to get any of the vaccines if there isn’t an option to choose.
The Vatican guidance states that “all vaccinations recognized as clinically safe and effective can be used in good conscience with the certain knowledge that use of such vaccines does not constitute formal cooperation with the abortion from which the cells used in production of the vaccines derive.”
(Excerpt) Read more at cruxnow.com ...
Bishops incorrectly assume that they have any say in the matter. The religious exemption is NOT based on what your church, priest, pastor, elder or bishop says.
Look, when they tell us we aren’t going to be able to work, go to stores or other places without showing a vax pass, I believe that to be the mark of the beast. Without the “Mark” or pass, one cannot purchase and that is exactly what was described in Rev 13. Folks can argue all day long about the right hand and forehead thing I guess, but I’m not taking the chance.
Stop fussing over this and get working on fixing the many problems in your church.
How do you know I’m not?
Bishops disagree on being religious
How much longer will religious exemptions even be allowed?
The bishops need to make their teaching is clear to their flocks. To them Catholics need to support the billionaires and wealthy, and not the poor and defenseless.
If your statement is addressed to those of us who are skeptical about the so-called "vaccine" and/or "vaccination" mandate and believe that a religious exemption might be appropriate for them, then I would posit that "fussing over this" might actually be a good way of fixing at least some of the problems in one's church.
Regards,
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