Our Illinois bishops today issued a statement on the moral permissibility of COVID-19 vaccines that have been in recent news. The statement may also be found in PDF format in English and Español.
Illinois bishops join U.S. bishops’ statement on COVID-19 vaccines
Recent days have brought hopeful news to the global fight against the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. A COVID-19 vaccine has been approved by federal regulators, shipped across the country and used to inoculate front-line health care workers. Authorization of another vaccine appears imminent.
As a faith community concerned about the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death, we realize that many may be questioning the moral permissibility of these vaccines. We, the Catholic bishops of Illinois, join entirely the document released by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, “Moral Considerations Regarding the New COVID-19 Vaccines.”[1] The document offers a detailed analysis of the origin of current vaccines and concludes that the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are morally acceptable. We urge all Catholics to read this document.
We thank the dedicated health care workers who have tended to and comforted those afflicted by the coronavirus, as well as their families. We express our gratitude to the resourceful scientists who have produced vaccines in record time and offer encouragement to those pursuing additional remedies. And we pray for all affected by this global health crisis, be it from the death of a loved one, illness from the virus, financial hardship or isolation from families and friends.
[1] “Moral Considerations Regarding the New COVID-19 Vaccines” may be found here: https://www.usccb.org/moral-considerations-covid-vaccines
Illinois bishops join the statement
from the United States Bishops on COVID-19 Vaccines
The past few days have brought hopeful news to the global fight against the current coronavirus pandemic. A COVID-19 vaccine has been approved by federal regulators, shipped nationwide, and used to inoculate front-line healthcare workers. The authorization of another vaccine seems imminent.
As a community of faith concerned with the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death, we realize that many may be questioning the moral permissibility of these vaccines. We, the Catholic Bishops of Illinois, fully associate ourselves with the document published by the American Conference of Catholic Bishops, “Moral Considerations Regarding New Vaccines Against COVID-19”.[1] The document provides a detailed analysis of the origin of current vaccines and concludes that Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are morally acceptable. We urge all Catholics to read this document.
We thank the dedicated healthcare workers who have cared for and comforted those affected by the coronavirus, as well as their families. We express our gratitude to the resourceful scientists who have produced vaccines in record time and offer encouragement to those seeking additional remedies. And we pray for all those affected by this global health crisis, whether it be the death of a loved one, virus illness, financial hardship, or isolation from family and friends.
[1] The “Moral Considerations Regarding New COVID-19 Vaccines” can be found here: https://www.usccb.org/moral-considerations-covid-vaccines
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