St. Augustine, FL. — The Catholic Diocese of St. Augustine has issued new guidelines for Catholics to follow when receiving COVID-19 vaccines.
These guidelines have been introduced after the U.S. Bishop Chairmen for Doctrine and for Pro-Life address the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Doctrine, and Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Pro-life Activities, issued a statement in regard to the newly approved Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.
The address said that similar lines for developing the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine were used but the key difference between those two vaccines and the Johnson & Johnson vaccine are in the production of the vaccine.
“The approval of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine for use in the United States again raises questions about the moral permissibility of using vaccines developed, tested, and/or produced with the help of abortion-derived cell lines,” stated the two chairmen.
It does say that it is morally acceptable to get the Johnson & Johnson vaccine when the other vaccines aren’t available, but when Catholics have the choice Catholic leaders would prefer them to chose either Pfizer or Moderna.