Dear Brothers and Sisters
News of the successful development of effective vaccines against COVID-19 has brought much needed hope, yet the pandemic is far from over. As cases rise and the virus mutates, the pandemic continues to bring suffering, isolation, financial hardship and death, disproportionately affecting the most vulnerable among us. Yet the crisis has also “revived the sense that we are a global community, all in the same boat, where one person’s problems are the problems of all” (Encyclical Fratelli Tutti [FT], 32). “With our gaze fixed on Jesus (cf. Heb 12:2) and with the certainty that His love is operative through the community of His disciples, we must act all together, in the hope of generating something different and better” (General Audience, 26 August 2020).
In times of coronavirus and “great human and socio-economic viruses,” the Church is called to walk with others on a “journey of healing,” bringing “light in the midst of darkness, […] justice in the midst of so many outrages, […] joy in the midst of so much pain, […] healing and salvation in the midst of sickness and death, […] tenderness in the midst of hatred […] to ‘viralize’ love and to ‘globalize’ hope in the light of faith” (General Audience, 30 September 2020). We must “rediscover once for all that we need one another, and that in this way our human family can experience a rebirth, with all its faces, all its hands and all its voices” (Cf. FT, 35).
A first step in our journey toward a more just, inclusive and equitable world is making COVID-19 vaccines available and accessible to all, as outlined in the December 2019 paper, Vaccine for all: 20 points for a fairer and healthier world, published by the Vatican COVID-19 Commission and the Pontifical Academy for Life.
The following resources are designed to support parish priests and staff in diocesan offices and health and social service agencies. You will find information about the COVID-19 vaccine for varied audiences, resources to support the preparation of homilies, relevant quotes from Pope Francis, links to useful information, and short messages for websites, parish bulletins or other media. A Family Guide to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) is designed to help local communities and to counter misinformation.
As we look towards a better future, we are reminded “how vulnerable and interconnected everyone is” (General Audience, 12 August 2020) and that “to build a healthy, inclusive, just and peaceful society we must do so on the rock of the common good” (General Audience, 9 September 2020). Ensuring access to vaccines for all should be considered an act of love of our neighbour and part of our moral responsibility.
We hope this material can be helpful for use in parishes, clinics, schools, social service agencies, and beyond. If you have any questions or suggestions for how local churches can get involved, please contact vcc@humandevelopment.va.
Cabina di Regia of the Vatican COVID-19 Commission
H. E. Card. Peter K. A. Turkson
Prefect
Mons. Bruno Marie Duffé
Secretary
Rev. Fr. Augusto Zampini
Adjunct Secretary
Sources for the information used in the Clinical Questions Regarding COVID-19 Vaccines and A Family Guide to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) can be found in the Links to Resources on COVID-19 and Vaccines and will direct you to external websites that provide further scientific and health information.
Click on the Resource links to read/download Contents
- Recent Notes on COVID-19 Vaccines
(1 page) - Clinical Questions About COVID-19 Vaccines
(3 pages) - Special Questions for Church Leaders About COVID-19 Vaccines
(2 pages) - COVID-19 Vaccines: Resources for Homilies and Conversations
(3 pages) - A Family Guide to the Coronavirus (COVID-19)
(2 pages) - COVID-19 Vaccines: Social Media Content
(1 page) - Links to Resources on COVID-19 and Vaccines
(1 page)
Related Resources: CBCM: Pastoral letter on COVID-19, Vaccines and Immunisation , The Catholic Position on COVID-19 Vaccines
