Church leaders are preaching the good word – this time urging people to get their COVID-19 vaccinations. Their campaign aims to fight against “echo chambers” of misinformation on social media amongst their communities. “We know that 80 percent of Pasifika communities have some sort of affiliation with churches, church communities,” says John Kleinsman, director of Read more
An expert on the Vatican’s Covid-19 commission says religious working in health care and schools have a duty to educate and to counter vaccine deniers. Women religious and Catholic organisations who serve others every day are “our best hope for safe and fair distribution of vaccines. “They are also the best tool for convincing people Read more
Pope Francis visited homeless and needy people getting a free COVID-19 vaccine shot from his Vatican charity on Friday as he celebrated his name day, the feast of St. George. The pope, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, spent about 30 minutes chatting with people who came to the Vatican for their second dose of COVID-19 vaccinations. Read more
The Vatican plans to vaccinate 1,200 people living in poverty during Holy Week with the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. The Office of Papal Charities is offering doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, purchased by the Holy See and offered by the Lazzaro Spallanzani Hospital through the Vatican COVID-19 Commission, to “the poorest and most marginalized people who, Read more
President of the New Zealand Catholic Bishop’s Conference and Archbishop of Wellington, Cardinal John Dew has offered Catholic churches and church facilities to the Government for Covid vaccination centres. Dew made the offer at a meeting in Auckland between Church leaders of some of the country’s major Christian faiths and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. As Read more
Some Catholic leaders have argued that all three Covid-19 vaccines are morally acceptable, pushing back against U.S. Catholic bishops questioning the morality of taking coronavirus vaccines. They have said the shots are moral and are needed urgently to save lives. The barrage of differing philosophical opinions on the three approved vaccines were based on how Read more
The Vatican has walked back from a decree that suggested staff who refused a Covid-19 vaccine risked losing their jobs. A Feb. 8 decree by Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello, the governor of Vatican City, said getting a vaccine was “the responsible choice” because of the risk of harming other people. The decree said that those who Read more
In a statement released on Thursday, the South African Bishops conference praised president Cyril Ramaphosa’s clarification of his herd immunity policy on 1st February. The president said that herd immunity would be achieved once “67% of our people” are immune. Saying that none are safe until all are safe, he stated that “we aim to Read more