By Lisa Zengarini
Scottish bishops say there are reasons of hope as the world lives through these difficult times of pandemic and unrest, expressing solidarity with the most vulnerable.
In a Pastoral Letter titled “Light Shines in Darkness” (John 1:5), they remind, with Pope Francis, that every crisis presents opportunities and that God, through His Incarnated Son, “turns all things to good”. “We have well-founded reasons for hoping that the Pandemic has led society to a rediscovery of the dignity of every human person, especially the most vulnerable, along with a new appreciation of the goodness manifested by so many”, the Bishops say citing the recent Encyclical Letter “Fratelli tutti”.
Dec. 14, 2020 Catholic News Service WASHINGTON The gravity of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the lack of availability of alternative vaccines, are sufficiently serious reasons to accept the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, the chairmen of the U.S. bishops doctrine and pro-life committees said Dec. 14. Receiving the COVID-19 vaccine ought to be understood as an act of charity toward the other members of our community, they said. 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. The bishops addressed the moral concerns raised by the fact the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have some connection to cell lines that originated with tissue taken from abortions.
A woman holds a small bottle labeled with a coronavirus vaccine sticker and a medical syringe in front of the display of a Pfizer logo in this 2020 illustration. (CNS photo/Dado Ruvic, Reuters)
WASHINGTON (CNS) The gravity of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the lack of availability of alternative vaccines, are sufficiently serious reasons to accept the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, the chairmen of the U.S. bishops doctrine and pro-life committees said Dec. 14. Receiving the COVID-19 vaccine ought to be understood as an act of charity toward the other members of our community, they said. 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.
Vatican will offer Pfizer COVID vaccine to employees A nurse holds a vial of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at University Hospital in Coventry, England, Dec. 8, 2020, the first day of the largest immunization program in British history. CNS photo/Jacob King pool via Reuters December 14, 2020
VATICAN CITY The Vatican health service will begin vaccinating employees and Vatican citizens against COVID-19 using the Pfizer vaccine, the director of the Vatican health service told Vatican News. Only through a widespread and capillary immunization of the population will it be possible to obtain real advantages in terms of public health to achieve control of the pandemic, Dr. Andrea Arcangeli said Dec. 11.
Getting COVID-19 vaccine is ‘act of charity’ for common good, bishops say
Health care personnel work inside a coronavirus unit at United Memorial Medical Center in Houston Dec. 12, 2020, as the United States neared 300,000 COVID-19 deaths. (CNS photo/Callaghan O’Hare, Reuters)
By Julie Asher • Catholic News Service • Posted December 14, 2020
WASHINGTON (CNS) The “gravity” of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and “the lack of availability of alternative vaccines,” are “sufficiently serious” reasons to accept the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, the chairmen of the U.S. bishops’ doctrine and pro-life committees said in a statement Dec. 14.
“Receiving the COVID-19 vaccine ought to be understood as an act of charity toward the other members of our community,” they said. “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.”