Seth Udinski, FISM News

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In some controversial religious news, the Roman Catholic Church released a public statement on Wednesday reiterating its support of COVID-19 vaccines. This is likely in response to worldwide reports of rapid transaction of the new Omicron variant. The church has followed the stance of its leader, Pope Francis I, who said in August that getting the vaccine is an “act of love”:

Getting the vaccines that are authorized by the respective authorities is an act of love. I pray to God that each one of us can make his or her own small gesture of love, no matter how small, love is always grand.

The Vatican said in its statement on Wednesday:

Following today’s publication of the new documents of the Vatican COVID-19 Commission and the Pontifical Academy for Life, one year after the publication of the Note on the same topic by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and the official communiqué of the Pontifical Academies of Sciences and Social Sciences, it seems appropriate to reaffirm the Holy See’s position in favor of vaccines. The Holy Father has defined vaccination as ‘an act of love,’ since it is aimed at the protection of people against COVID-19. In addition, he recently reiterated the need for the international community to further intensify its cooperation efforts so that all have rapid access to vaccines, not as a matter of convenience, but of justice.

While some will applaud the pope and the church’s position, others see this as a dangerous misstep from church officials.