The Archdiocese of New York reportedly issued a memorandum urging priests to not issue religious exemptions for Catholics who do not want to obtain the COVID-19 vaccine.
The memo, dated July 30, was obtained and posted on Twitter by Bree Dail from The Epoch Times. Dail shared on Twitter that she received confirmation from the archdiocese that the memo was authentic, however, they declined to comment.
NEW YORK— @NY_Arch confirmed this memorandum is authentic, and they are not providing comment at this time. https://t.co/OYROrMeAIE
— Bree A Dail (@breeadail) August 2, 2021
The memo, sent by John P. Cahill, chancellor of the Archdiocese of New York, argues that issuing religious exemptions from the COVID-19 vaccine could pose serious health risks to others as unvaccinated individuals could spread the virus.
“There is no basis for a priest to issue a religious exemption to the vaccine. By doing so, he is acting in contradiction to the directives of the Pope and is participating in an act that could have serious consequences to others,” the memo states.
One example provided in the memo describes a student, unvaccinated due to religious exemption, spreading the virus throughout campus. It also mentions that a COVID-19 outbreak as a result of a religious-exempted unvaccinated individual would be an embarrassment to the archdiocese.
“Imagine a student receiving a religious exemption, contracting the virus and spreading it throughout campus,” the memo states. “Clearly this would be an embarrassment to the archdiocese. Some even argue that it might impose personal liability on the priest.”
In recent months, several Catholic organizations have voiced their support for the COVID-19 vaccine, including the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). On the other hand, some Catholic leaders have shared their concerns regarding the ethics behind the COVID-19 vaccine and its ties to abortion. The latter could perhaps sway a Catholic into obtaining a religious exemption for the vaccine as vaccine mandates become instated in areas all across the country. New York City, for example, will soon require a “vaccine passport,” dubbed the “Key to NYC Pass,” providing proof of vaccination for individuals to access various indoor facilities.
In regards to the concerns that the COVID-19 has scientific ties to abortion, the USCCB addressed this in a statement published in March. “While we should continue to insist that pharmaceutical companies stop using abortion-derived cell lines, 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 statement said. The statement also urged Catholics to opt for the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine over Johnson & Johnson due to the development of the J&J vaccine involving “abortion-derived stem cells.” “[I]f one has the ability to choose a vaccine, Pfizer or Moderna’s vaccines should be chosen over Johnson & Johnson’s,” the statement said.
The Archdiocese of New York’s memo seemed to build off this notion that it’s our moral obligation to be vaccinated to stop the spread of COVID-19.“Pope Francis has made it very clear that it is morally acceptable to take any of the vaccines and said that we have the moral responsibility to get vaccinated,” the memo states.
“Any individual is free to exercise discretion on getting the vaccine based upon his or her own beliefs without seeking the inaccurate portrayal of Church instructions” the memo states. “Our priests should not be active participants to such actions.”
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