Post by Werebeaver on Aug 13, 2022 9:09:46 GMT -8
Francis used some of his strongest words yet calling for people to get vaccinated in a speech to ambassadors accredited to the Holy See, an annual event in which he takes stock of the world and sets out the Vatican's foreign policy goals for the year.
The Vatican's doctrine office has said it is "morally acceptable" for Catholics to receive COVID-19 vaccines based on research that used cells derived from aborted fetuses. Francis and Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI have been fully vaccinated with Pfizer-BioNTech shots.
Sounds to me like the Pope was pretty clear. And the Vatican as well. The dude in Spokane does not speak for the church. In fact, he seems to directly contradict Rome.
www.npr.org/2022/01/10/1071785531/on-covid-vaccinations-pope-says-health-care-is-a-moral-obligation
It is morally acceptable for Catholics to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech/Moderna COVID-19 vaccines, and Pope Francis received the Pfizer-BioNTech shot.
But his statements are his statements alone, not statements made ex cathedra. The Vatican is more than just the pope. Pope Francis speaks for himself. He does not speak for the Vatican.
The primary point of his speech was not even about getting vaccinate or not. The primary focus of Pope Francis' speech was to try and convince the richer countries to allow the poorer countries more access to vaccines. The fact that NPR took a small part of Pope Francis' speech about something completely different and decided to amplify that is pretty much par for the course.
The Bishop of Spokane does speak for the Diocese of Spokane. He does not mandate vaccines, just like Pope Francis. Neither does either mandate not getting vaccinated. Their statements on the issue do not invalidate your own prayerful conscientious decision. If you believe that you morally cannot get the vaccine, then you cannot get the vaccine. And you should not be forcibly compelled to by the State. The Church and State are and should remain separate. The State should not usually be allowed to force people to do things that they deem immoral.
As far as I know, he remains unvaccinated.
