Dear Parishioners,
I have heard from many who have voiced concerns about the morality of receiving the upcoming COVID-19 vaccines. To put it succinctly, the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) as well as the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) have both deemed that it is “morally acceptable” and should be considered an act of charity to receive the current vaccines available.
The concerns have rightfully been voiced about what “kind of cooperation" such reception would constitute since the vaccines have had various cooperation with illicit means, namely the use of tissues used from aborted fetuses. The response has been that the situation at hand consists in “remote cooperation” which allows their use to be acceptable in the context of the pandemic. The CDF instructed that Catholics are not obliged to avoid their use since there exists a grave danger, in the form of an “uncontainable spread of a serious pathological agent.”
The CDF further stated, ““In such a case, 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 CDF wanted to clarify that “the morally licit use of these types of vaccines, in the particular conditions that make it so, does not in itself constitute a legitimation, even indirect, of the practice of abortion, and necessarily assumes the opposition to this practice by those who make use of these vaccines.” Nor should it imply a moral approval of the use of cell lines proceeding from aborted fetuses.”
The USCCB Committee on Pro-Life Activities issued a statement. Here is the summary from the USCCB website:
“… the bishops address the moral concerns raised by the fact that the three vaccines that appear to be ready for distribution in the United States all have some connection to cell lines that originated with tissue taken from abortions.
With regard to the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, they concluded:
“In view of the gravity of the current pandemic and the lack of availability of alternative vaccines, the reasons to accept the new COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna are sufficiently serious to justify their use, despite their remote connection to morally compromised cell lines.
“Receiving one of the COVID-19 vaccines ought to be understood as an act of charity toward the other members of our community. In this way, 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.”
With regard to the AstraZeneca vaccine, the bishops found it to be “more morally compromised” and consequently concluded that this vaccine “should be avoided” if there are alternatives available. “It may turn out, however, that one does not really have a choice of vaccine, at least, not without a lengthy delay in immunization that may have serious consequences for one’s health and the health of others,” the bishop chairmen stated. “In such a case … it would be permissible to accept the AstraZeneca vaccine.”
At the same time, the bishops also warned that Catholics “must be on guard so that the new COVID-19 vaccines do not desensitize us or weaken our determination to oppose the evil of abortion itself and the subsequent use of fetal cells in research.”
The CDF also shared that it is a “moral imperative” that all the entities involved in distributing the vaccines ensure that the vaccines are accessible to the “poorest countries in a manner that is not costly for them.” Pope Franics reiterated this stand in his annual Christmas, “Urbi Et Orbi” Message and called upon a just and equitable distribution of vaccines. This was further reinforced by the Pontifical Academy for Life.
Moral theology is a difficult area of study. The concept of “cooperation” may be new to readers. I would encourage you all to 1. give your attention to these documents as to the morality of the vaccines and 2. consult with your personal health care professional about whether you are a candidate to receive it, given your current health status, when the opportunity arises for each of you.
Blessings,
Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor
Source for CDF information: https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2020-12/vatican-cdf-note-covid-vaccine-morality-abortion.html
Source for USCCB information: https://www.usccb.org/news/2020/us-bishop-chairmen-pro-life-and-doctrine-address-ethical-concerns-new-covid-19-vaccines
Other More Complete Sources:
