Pope Francis suggested that it is an individual’s “moral obligation” to get a Covid vaccination, and denounced that people have been swayed against one of the most effective life-saving pandemic measures by “baseless information.”
It marked one of the Pope’s strongest language yet to call for vaccinations. While Francis’s Covid advisors have referred to vaccinations as a “moral responsibility” previously, the Pope himself has generally shied away from using the same language. Instead, the Pope previously referred to vaccinations as an “act of love”, as well as saying that a refusal of vaccination is “suicidal.”
On Monday, Francis said that individuals have a responsibility to care for themselves and that this translates into respect for the health of others around them. He continued that healthcare is a moral obligation.
Francis also said that ideological divides are discouraging vaccinations and that people are allowing themselves to be influenced by ideology bolstered by baseless information or poorly documented facts.
The Pope said that while vaccinations are not some kind of magical healing, they represent the most reasonable solution to prevent disease.
The statement was made in a speech to ambassadors accredited to the Holy See, which is an annual event where the Pope outlines the Vatican’s foreign policy goals for the upcoming year. It was a much smaller group of diplomats in attendance this year due to the Covid restrictions.
In the U.S., conservative Catholics, including some bishops and cardinals, have made claims that vaccines based on stem cell research from aborted fetuses were immoral, and therefore have refused vaccinations.
The Vatican’s doctrine office has explicitly said that it is in fact morally acceptable for Catholics to receive a Covid vaccination based on research that used cells from aborted fetuses.
Pope Francis and Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI have been fully vaccinated against Covid, all with the Pfizer-BioNTech shots.
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