Hector,

Yes, abortion is a sin that brings about excommunication; so does direct material cooperation. Direct material cooperation includes any voluntary assistance you give to someone getting an abortion. e.g.:

• helping to pay for an abortion, and
• driving someone to get an abortion

are examples of direct material cooperation with abortion that ordinary Catholics might engage in. Certainly pressuring someone or suggesting someone get an abortion also falls into that category.

If you're a law maker and you vote to make abortion easier in any way, shape, or form, that's also direct material cooperation. Voting for someone who supports legal abortion, because he or she supports it, I believe would also be considered direct and material cooperation.

Voting for a pro-abortion candidate, but not because of that reason, when there is a viable Pro-Life candidate running, is more remote cooperation. It is significant cooperation but it doesn't incur an automatic excommunication.

So now we get to vaccines or other medicines that some how use the remains of babies aborted years ago. The Church condemns the practice but insofar as individuals knowingly making use of such products, it is not considered sin, if there is nothing else available.

That said, an informed Catholic should voice their moral objection when being vaccinated — politely — . This is a witness to the Gospel of Life. Our cooperation is extremely indirect and extremely remote. If it's possible to safely avoid using such products, then it's up to the individual to use their conscience but it is not sin to do so.

Again, if one knows or suspects a vaccination or medicine is tainted by the use of aborted babies and has no other equally safe options, they should voice their moral objection.

I hope this helps,

John

Dear Hector,

Your raise an excellent and difficult question.

I have heard Bishops like Strickland and Athanasius Schneider say they will not take any vaccine that has a connection to abortion, however remote, despite the fact that the Vatican has permitted it. Recently the USCCB made a statement which can be interpreted as a plea for pharmaceutical companies to use alternative methods in producing vaccines so as to not create a moral crisis in choosing the vaccine. It rings hollow.

In my opinion, the US bishops are fooling themselves if they think that making a statement will affect any change (especially with the little moral authority they have).

• Why should a corporation stop (or radically change) producing a product if everyone, including Catholics, who are encouraged to get vaccinated, are buying it?

It is laughable. Rather, if the US bishops told all Catholics to not receive any vaccine that is tainted with abortion, either in the production or product itself, then the pharmaceutical companies would have to take notice and consider change. The alarmism of COVID supersedes all.

While I recognize that the Church has made this allowance, in consideration of what many call grave circumstances, it does not move me to get such a vaccine. I feel that the connection to abortion, while more remote in some vaccines, is not acceptable.

• If the Nazis experimented on children to create a medicine, and then offered some of it, who would take it?

(Ironically, post WW II doctors were eager to take research findings of Mengele and his cohort). This culture of death that considers murdered children as an appropriate means to an end is wholly lost and diabolically disoriented and the Church needs to take stronger measures to condemn it.

I have many friends and fellow Catholics who have taken the vaccine, and I certainly don't condemn them, because the Church has cleared their conscience, but I fear that God is going to hold us all very accountable for this woeful tragedy.

When temporal life is given greater importance than eternal life, woe to us.

Early Christians were martyred because they wouldn't even drop a few grains of incense to placate the Roman authorities, who demanded acts of public worship. They realized that going along to get along was denying Christ. Sooner or later I believe we will all be put to a similar test and this sad trial is certainly taking us in that direction.

Peace,

Bob Kirby

Hi, Hector —

You said:

• So in a nutshell, are you saying that knowingly receiving tainted vaccines is good?
  <There is no sin, no excommunication>?

Well, I wouldn't say it is a good thing but it is not sin according to the Vatican and the (USCCB) United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

As Bob pointed out, the Bishops should take a stronger stand. I don't know that I'd go as far as he does with this. But he makes valid points.

As for Catholics who don't know, I'd venture to say most Catholics, even Church-going Catholics aren't aware of this.

Mind you, this isn't just COVID vaccines. Many regular Flu shots and other routinely-used vaccines, in the production of vaccines, come from stem cell lines of babies aborted decades ago. I didn't find this out until 2019 and I'm a pretty well-informed person. Ever since then, I've voiced my objection when getting a vaccine. Oftentimes the doctor or nurse has no idea whether aborted babies were used in the production of the vaccine. Believe me, I ask when getting vaccinated.

Now in the COVID vaccine case, it's been more publicized but many, many, people . . . I'd venture to say, most, don't know about this.

That is, in good part, because it's rarely mentioned from the pulpit. In fact, the only time I've heard it mentioned is recently, because the Vatican and US Bishop's Conference has said it's OK to take the vaccine and that is a huge scandal. If they had been talking about this all these years — telling people to at least try to avoid it or admonishing them to voice their objection — this might not be happening now.

John

Hector,

Thank you for your insightful questions.

It's obvious that you take your faith seriously and ask important questions. True faith seeks understanding even though we start with the principle that we submit to the Church's Teaching, even if we don't fully understand any or at of it.

This takes humility on our part but remember, we aren't just blindly trusting men rather we are trusting the Promise of Jesus Himself, to protect the Church from officially teaching error in defining matters of faith and morals. (Matthew 16:13-19)

Now when it comes to practices and discipline, we are free to disagree, and do so openly, but we aren't free to disobey them.

God Bless you brother as we all continue to celebrate the Easter Season.

John