Scranton Bishop Joseph C. Bambera talks to a Times Leader reporter in this file photo. Bambera on Thursday issued a statement saying ‘it is morally acceptable to receive any of the current COVID-19 vaccines that have been determined to be clinically safe and effective.’
Times Leader file photo
Move comes as Catholic leaders elsewhere raise concerns about ‘morally compromised’ J&J product
Click here to subscribe today or Login.
The spiritual leader of Northeastern Pennsylvania’s Roman Catholic community has urged the faithful to receive any COVID-19 vaccine that is clinically safe and effective.
Thursday’s statement by Scranton Bishop Joseph C. Bambera comes as Catholic leaders in other parts of the country have raised concerns about the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which is produced using a cell line derived from an aborted fetus.
“I want to be clear and concise in my pastoral guidance regarding COVID-19 vaccines. Given the grave danger this virus poses, it is morally acceptable to receive any of the current COVID-19 vaccines that have been determined to be clinically safe and effective,” Bambera said, noting that the pandemic has left more than than 500,000 people dead in the United States alone.
“This position is supported by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith,” the bishop added.
AP report
As reported Wednesday by The Associated Press, Roman Catholic leaders in St. Louis and New Orleans advised their parishioners that the COVID-19 vaccine from Johnson & Johnson, newly approved for use in the U.S., is “morally compromised” because of its ties to an aborted fetus.
The New Orleans archdiocese said the decision to receive a vaccine is one of individual conscience. In its statement late last week — posted the day before the Food and Drug Administration cleared the Johnson & Johnson vaccine for use in the U.S. — the archdiocese stopped short of advising Catholics not to take the J&J product, but added that Catholics should choose coronavirus vaccines made by Moderna or Pfizer — if they are available.
The Archdiocese of St. Louis on Tuesday encouraged Catholics to seek out the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines and avoid the Johnson & Johnson version if possible. Like the New Orleans archdiocese statement, the St. Louis statement called the Johnson & Johnson vaccine “morally compromised.”
However, the St. Louis statement stressed that Catholics can receive that vaccine “in good conscience if no other alternative is available.”
Later Tuesday, a statement issued by chairmen of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ committees on doctrine and abortion issues issued a statement reiterating the moral concerns. It said the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines are preferable “if one has the ability to choose a vaccine.”
How J&J vaccine is made
While not disputing the church officials’ contention that an abortion-derived cell line is used in the production, Johnson & Johnson issued a statement Tuesday stressing that there is no fetal tissue in its vaccine.
As the Associated Press explained, Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine is made using a harmless cold virus, called an adenovirus, the same technology it used to produce a successful Ebola vaccine. The adenovirus is grown using what’s called an immortalized cell line, and the virus then is pulled out and purified.
Several types of cell lines created decades ago using fetal tissue exist and are widely used in medical manufacturing. However the cells in them today are clones of the early cells, not the original tissue.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops said in a January statement that “abortion-derived” cell lines were used to test the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines but not in their development or production.
Religious discussion
In December, the AP noted, the Vatican said that “it is morally acceptable to receive COVID-19 vaccines that have used cell lines from aborted fetuses” in the research and production process when “ethically irreproachable” vaccines aren’t available to the public.
Pope Francis has frequently spoken about the need to ensure that vaccines are widely available, especially to the poor and marginalized. And, last month, a decree signed by the governor of the Vatican city-state said that Vatican employees who opt out of vaccination without a proven medical reason could be subject to sanctions, including being fired.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards — an anti-abortion Democrat — stressed the need for people to use any of the approved vaccines available in order to stop the spread of the virus.
“I’m encouraging everyone out there to take the first vaccine that is available to them,” Edwards told the Associated Press.
‘People should not delay’
That was essentially the same message delivered by Bambera on Thursday.
“People should not delay getting a vaccine. Receiving a vaccine not only protects an individual’s health but also serves the common good by protecting the community — including the weak and vulnerable,” said the bishop, who presides over an 11-county diocese with over 249,000 parishioners.
“While fully recognizing the complex moral and ethical issues involved in vaccine development, at this time, people are not being given a true choice of which vaccine they receive, and likely won’t be without a lengthy delay,” added Bambera, whose statement included a link to Doctrine of the Faith’s December 2020 Note on the Morality of using some anti-COVID vaccines.
“Given that risk to public health, the faithful can in good conscience receive any of the current vaccines,” Bambera added.
***
The Associated Press contributed to this report.