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 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.
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.
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.