No religious exemption letters for vaccine, archdiocese says

The Archdiocese of San Antonio has announced it will not provide religious exemption letters to people who object to receiving a vaccination against the coronavirus.

Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller said in a statement that he “does not consider the COVID-19 vaccine to be morally objectionable” and those medically able to do so “are encouraged to be vaccinated.”

“The Archdiocese upholds the right of all individuals to inform and follow their conscience regarding vaccination, while recognizing such personal decisions should not be dependent upon documentation by a member of the clergy,” García-Siller said.

The announcement comes as much of the Roman Catholic Church is embroiled in a debate over vaccine mandates. While some church leaders have argued against vaccinations, Pope Francis and others have promoted them as “an act of love.”

Other dioceses in the United States, including those in Philadelphia, San Diego and Los Angeles, have made similar statements. The Rev. Mark J. Seitz, the b ishop of El Paso, has imposed a vaccine requirement for employees.

In March, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops released guidance on the vaccine and called being inoculated against COVID-19 “an act of charity that serves the common good.”

Earlier this year, there was false information circulating online that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine was developed using abortion-derived cells, but J&J has said there is no fetal tissue in its vaccine.

J&J did use a human fetal cell line in the production of the vaccine. Fetal cell lines are derived from decades-old fetal cells in a laboratory setting and do not contain the original tissue, according to medical experts. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines used fetal cell lines during testing but not production.

The Conference of Catholic Bishops called it “morally acceptable” to receive one of the current COVID-19 vaccines.

For his part, Pope Francis said getting vaccinated against the virus was a moral act.

“Getting the vaccines that are authorized by the respective authorities is an act of love, and helping the majority of people to do so is an act of love,” Francis said on Aug. 18. “Getting vaccinated is a simple yet profound way to care for one another, especially the most vulnerable.”