Bishop Provost has issued the following statement:
“I remind the faithful of the Diocese of Lake Charles that it is morally permissible to receive COVID-19 vaccines. The vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna are not produced using materials connected to abortion-derived cell lines, although they did make use of them in ancillary testing. The vaccines from Johnson and Johnson and AstraZeneca are produced using material connected to abortion-derived cell lines and are, therefore, more morally problematic than the alternatives. The cell lines in question were created from two abortions in the 1960s and have since been replicated in laboratories. In April of 2020, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops asked the federal government to ensure the production of morally permissible COVID-19 vaccines. While it is tragic that no option currently available is entirely free of any connection to abortion, Catholics must know that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and the United States Bishops have affirmed that it is morally permissible to receive COVID-19 vaccines.
“Furthermore, I remind the faithful, as I have reminded the pastors of the Diocese, that other health measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 should not be taken lightly. Please refer to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and State of Louisiana guidelines. In our area, the current rise in cases has placed an immense burden on our health care facilities, our medical professionals, and on those who suffer from the virus. We must remain diligent in our prayers for the health and safety of all and for an end to this contagion.”
