Description "As your shepherd, I cannot in good conscience receive a vaccine that has been produced using an aborted child." Bishop Strickland directed this letter to Catholics in his East Texas diocese on December 8, 2020. Publisher & Date Dear Flock of East Texas, “To know that God is not distant but close, not indifferent but compassionate, not aloof but a merciful Father who follows us lovingly with respect for our freedom: all this is a cause of deep joy which the alternating ups and downs of daily life cannot touch.” Pope John Paul II, Angelus, Third Sunday of Advent, 2003 As the Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tyler, I wish you peace as we approach the end of a challenging 2020 and unwavering faith as we enter 2021. We have walked together through these difficult times. Soon we will face the availability of vaccines which we hope will alleviate the painful consequences of COVID-19 and its spread. Along with other Christian leaders, I have stressed the importance of ensuring that vaccines respect the dignity of human life and do not use the remains of electively aborted children in any part of the process.