St. Mary of the Mount Church & St. Adalbert Church
Can Catholics receive any of the Covid vaccines?
During the last months there have been conflicting reports about the Catholic position on the Covid-19 vaccines, and this week there were many reports from news sources that Catholics are urged not to receive the Johnson and Johnson vaccine.
To begin, it has long been the teaching of the Church that a personal well-formed conscience decision is between you and God. Three things we must know to understand that statement: 1. Conscience is not the same as opinion. 2. Your conscience needs to be well-formed. 3. Every personal decision you make also affects the community and needs to be taken into account. In the "We Nurture" section of the Community Covenant, we speak to the responsibility to help one another form our conscience.
So, it is important to be clear about what the Church is saying unfilterd by the media. In December, The Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith (the CDF office deals with the teaching of the Church) issued this statement regarding the vaccines. “It is morally acceptable to receive Covid-19 vaccines that have used cell lines from aborted fetuses in their research and production process.”
Due to the situation of the ongoing pandemic, “all vaccinations recognized as clinically safe and effective can be used in good conscience with the certain knowledge that the use of such vaccines does not constitute formal cooperation with the abortion from which the cells used in production of the vaccines derive.” The teaching was explicitly approved by Pope Francis on December 17.
For those who might be concerned that this is new progressive thinking, this teaching recalls three previous pronouncements on the same topic: one from the Pontifical Academy for Life (PAV) in 2005; the CDF Instruction Dignitas Personae in 2008; and, another note from the PAV in 2017.
Dignitas Personae, approved by Pope Benedict XVI, pointed out that “there exist differing degrees of responsibility”, because “in organizations where cell lines of illicit origin are being utilized, the responsibility of those who make the decision to use them is not the same as that of those who have no voice in such a decision.”
So, based on that teaching in 2008, “when ethically irreproachable Covid-19 vaccines are not available”, it is “morally acceptable to receive Covid-19 vaccines that have used cell lines from aborted fetuses in their research and production process.”
The Bishops of the United States are not in opposition to that Church teaching. Perhaps, the way they stated their announcement could have been clearer. Of course, the media created a headline that they thought would be attention-getting.
Here is a part of the Bishop’s statement. "While Pfizer and Moderna vaccines should be chosen over Johnson and Johnson's where possible, it is "morally acceptable" to receive vaccines when "ethically irreproachable" options are not available. Given the world-wide suffering that this pandemic is causing, we affirm again that being vaccinated can be an act of charity that serves the common good.”
The Pa Catholic Conference of Bishops says, "In essence, we recognize that at this time individuals are not given a choice of which vaccine to receive and that this should not prevent Catholics from getting vaccinated as soon as possible. Catholics may in good conscience, receive any vaccine, in order to protect themselves. Once again, being vaccinated safely against COVID-19 should be considered an act of love of our neighbor and part of our moral responsibility for the common good."
So as a Catholic in forming your conscience; pray for enlightenment, use the teaching of the Church which clearly counsels us that getting any Covid vaccine that is available to you is morally acceptable, and know that you are witnessing to the Kingdom as you seek the common good.
For Information about where to get a Vaccine in your area, use the PA Health Department Website - Click Here