By Matters India Reporter
Bengaluru: The Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI) says Catholics can in good conscience receive anti-Covid-19 vaccines produced using cells derived from aborted human fetuses in research and experimentation.
The use of such vaccines does not constitute formal co-operation with abortion, says statement released March 10 by the national association of the Latin rite bishops in India.
The Church’s clarification appears in a paper, “A Catholic Ethical Response To Questions About Covid-19 Vaccines,” drafted by the Bioethics Forum of the Archdiocese of Bangalore.
It addresses the issue of social justice and the questions raised by the vaccines. The Indian bishops’ paper goes a step further than the position taken by the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
The Church in India wants every individual to diligently follow current public health preventive guidelines for the Covid-19 pandemic to protect oneself and others around them.
“This is a reflection of our solidarity with others who can be protected by these actions. Stigmatization of individuals who are ill or unvaccinated is harmful to the individual and society,” says the statement signed by CCBI deputy secretary general Father Stephen Alathara.
“It is important for individuals to access reliable information from valid sources and disseminate only such information, cognizant that false information is detrimental to efforts to control the pandemic,” the priest explained.
The statement wants people to “search within ourselves and as institutions, for ways in which we can enhance the collective effort to address the pandemic for the benefit of all, especially the poor, vulnerable and marginalized.”
Thank God for small mercies! Our Indian bishops have shown greater wisdom than their American counterparts. Let’s hope and pray that the more conservative Oriental Rites don’t mess it up by issuing a different statement.