Maryland’s Catholic bishops in a Dec. 12, 2020 letter strongly encouraged Catholics to receive the COVID-19 vaccines, which on Dec. 14 began being administered to frontline health care workers across the nation and will next be administered to residents of long-term care facilities.
“A Catholic can in good conscience receive these COVID-19 vaccines. Moreover, given the grave risk of harm to others, we strongly encourage the faithful to receive a vaccine against COVID, unless medically indicated otherwise,” the bishops said. They added, “It is vitally important that the most vulnerable among us and those who are from communities that have been disproportionately impacted by COVID receive the vaccine swiftly.”
As the vaccines began to be administered, the United States had passed a grim milestone, with more than 300,000 Americans dying from the coronavirus so far this year and more than 16 million people being infected by it. The Washington Post reported that the United States is experiencing a daily average of 200,000 new cases of coronavirus and almost 2,500 deaths.
The Catholic bishops serving Maryland who signed the letter included Washington Cardinal Wilton Gregory, who leads the Archdiocese of Washington that includes the nation’s capital and the five Maryland surrounding counties; Baltimore Archbishop William Lori, who leads the Archdiocese of Baltimore which includes that city and nine Maryland counties; and Bishop W. Francis Malooly, who leads the Diocese of Wilmington that encompasses the state of Delaware and Maryland’s Eastern Shore.
The letter was issued by the Maryland Catholic Conference, the public policy arm of the Catholic dioceses serving Maryland, and it was also signed by the auxiliary bishops of Washington and Baltimore.
Maryland’s Catholic bishops said they looked with hope at the development of effective and life-saving vaccines and added, “We are heartened by the quick progress to date and look forward to working with federal, state and local government leaders to promote widespread vaccination against COVID-19 in the interests of protecting public health and human life.”
The bishops noted that some have raised questions about the source of the vaccines, and to provide clarity for the ethical and moral status of the vaccines, they quoted a recent communication from the chairmen of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ pro-life and doctrine committees, which noted that “neither the Pfizer nor the Moderna vaccine involved the use of cell lines that originated in fetal tissue taken from the body of an aborted baby at any level of design, development, or production.”
The bishops did point out that, “They are not completely free from any connection to abortion, however, as both Pfizer and Moderna made use of a tainted cell line for one of the confirmatory lab tests of their products. There is thus a connection, but it is relatively remote.” Then Maryland’s bishops noted that the Holy See has addressed the use of tainted vaccines, and the USCCB chairmen wrote that following that guidance, “at the level of the recipient, it is morally permissible to accept vaccination when there are no alternatives and there is a serious risk to health.”
At that point in the letter, Maryland’s Catholic bishops said, “Therefore, a Catholic can in good conscience receive these COVID-19 vaccines.”
The bishops also emphasized that it “is imperative that pharmaceutical companies be urged to develop vaccines that fully respect the dignity of the human person at all stages.”
Maryland’s Catholic bishops had opened their letter by saying, “As the current pandemic continues to devastate families and communities, we must, as people of faith, continue to take necessary steps to protect the health and life of our families and communities, even when it is difficult or uncomfortable.”
They expressed gratitude to clergy, religious and lay people in parishes, schools, social service programs and health care facilities providing ministry under very difficult circumstances during the pandemic.
Closing the letter, the bishops wrote, “This has been a difficult year. We mourn with all those who have lost loved ones. We pray for the faithful departed and for all those experiencing deep suffering, including illness, loss of employment, isolation, loneliness and anxiety. May the intercession of Mary, Health of the Sick, bring healing and comfort to our Catholic community. And may she draw us ever closer to her Son, the Divine Physician.”
Health experts have expressed optimism that most people in the general population may be able to receive the COVID-19 vaccine by sometime next spring, after priority populations of health care personnel, long-term care facility residents, frontline workers, people at high risk of COVID-19 illnesses due to underlying conditions, and the elderly who are 65 and older.
(Here is a link to the Maryland bishops’ letter on the COVID-19 vaccine: https://cathstan.org/news/local/text-of-maryland-catholic-bishops-letter-on-covid-19-vaccine .)
