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It's extremely frustrating to see Bishop Strickland, Bishop Schneider, and other bishops misrepresenting the Church's teaching on cooperation with evil in the context of vaccines. They should know better, and it's leading prominent figures like Abby Johnson to follow them.
https://www.vanthuanobservatory.org/eng/covid-vaccines-the-ends-cannot-justify-the-means-bishop-athanasius-schneider/
In fact, "misrepresents" is probably too charitable. They seem to acknowledge what the teaching of the Church is--as stated in the CDF document published by Pope Benedict, Dignitas Personae--and simply reject it. This raises other problems.
In fact, "misrepresents" is probably too charitable. They seem to acknowledge what the teaching of the Church is--as stated in the CDF document published by Pope Benedict, Dignitas Personae--and simply reject it. This raises other problems.
The Church's magisterium has the authority to define ethical questions of the natural law. In Dignitas personae, the CDF/B16 stated that Catholics could utilize vaccines developed from cell lines with a tie to abortion, if no alternatives are available, after voicing opposition.
This judgment of the Pope, I must think, at the very least requires the "religious submission of mind and will" called for by Lumen Gentium 25, an attitude of respect that precludes public dissent.
Bishops cannot simply say "remote material cooperation, shmemote material cooperation! We can never compromise with abortion!" and act prolifier-than-thou. The POPE gave a different judgment. They cannot just ignore that, and then act like THEY are in line with the Church.
Also, I shouldn't have to note it, but this is the magisterial teaching of Benedict XVI they're rejecting, whom some of these bishops claim to adore so much more than Francis.
I think Abby Johnson is wrong about this stuff, but she wouldn't be saying this if these bishops had their heads on right. She's a neophyte Catholic--they're bishops. They should know better.
Btw I don’t object to people like Lila Rose loudly condemning the fact that some of these vaccines utilized ethically compromised cells in their testing. It is wrong, and Catholics should object to it! But that is different from the ethics of a patient or a doctor as an end-user.
I would also be willing to listen to an argument about what are or are not “proportional reasons“ for utilizing a vaccine with a connection to abortion, which the Church does require in the magisterial documents. You can do that without rejecting the underlying moral teaching.
Heck, you could even make a strategic argument saying that nothing short of full-on boycotts of all vaccines with a tie to these cell lines will ever convince pharmaceutical companies to stop using them. I think you can do that without rejecting the Magisterium.
If Catholics want to read a good summary of Catholic teaching on this point, I'd encourage them to read this document my organization published along with my bishop, the Most Rev. Joseph Brennan of the Diocese of Fresno, CA on COVID vaccines. https://dioceseoffresno.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/COVID-Vaccines-A-Pastoral-Guide-FINAL_12.09.2020.pdf
I would particularly like to commend my bishop for his humility and adherence to the Magisterium. His first public statements on the topic were a bit hard-line, and he published this document as a way of clarifying and correcting his prior remarks. I admire him enormously for it.
