Several Catholic ethicists are urging people to steer clear of the Janssen/Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine if possible, but at the same time affirm it is morally acceptable to receive it if the alternatives are not an option.
USCCB
Archbishop Gomez: U.S. Bishops’ Working Group Set Up Last November Completes Work
A special working group of the U.S. bishops formed last November to deal with conflicts that could arise between the policies of President Joe Biden, a Catholic, and church teaching has completed its work, Los Angeles Archbishop José H. Gomez said in a March 1 memo to all the U.S. bishops.
Pro-Life Groups Warn That New COVID Relief Bill Funds Abortion
The House passed the $1.9 trillion COVID relief bill, also referred to as the American Rescue Plan of 2021, early Saturday morning, Feb. 27. While the bill will fund vaccines, testing and tracing, and will also provide economic relief to American families and adult dependents, it doesn’t include prohibitions on abortion funding.
Bishops Say Fellow Texans’ Help for One Another Amid Storm Is ‘Edifying’
The Catholic bishops of Texas said Feb. 20 that the generosity of their fellow Texans reaching out to help their neighbors, even while they are also managing their own needs during a historic winter storm, “is truly edifying.”
Bishops: Why You Shouldn’t Give Up Social Media for Lent This Year
Bishop Michael Olson of Fort Worth wants people to consider three questions regarding the use of social media: does this need to be said? Is it my place to say it? And am I saying this in a way that builds up or tears down?
Catholic Leaders Call on Biden to Rescue Reeling Puerto Rico
There have been enough earthquakes in Puerto Rico over the past year and a half that the sensation has stuck with Archbishop Roberto González Nieves of San Juan. Sometimes, González said, he thinks the earth is shaking even when it’s not.
Biden Team to Review Trump Immigration Policies Prior to Reversal
While new U.S. President Joe Biden is still reviewing immigration directives from his predecessor, policy watchers expect a more immigrant-friendly path forward as well as help for some families adversely affected by Trump administration policies. But that path forward still is not clear.
On President Biden, Bishop Warns Against ‘Weaponization of Eucharist’
For Bishop Robert McElroy of San Diego, the way U.S. bishops should approach President Joe Biden and important issues can in part be answered through a question his mother used to ask: “What would Jesus do?”
Bishops Support Biden’s Racial Equity Orders Related to Housing, Prisons
The chairmen of two U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ committees welcomed recent executive actions by President Joe Biden to address racial equity in housing and the use of private prisons by the federal government.
Archbishop Criticizes Biden, Hopes for Change From Courts at Vigil Mass
The head of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities called President Joe Biden’s stance on abortion “religiously and ethically incoherent” during his homily at the opening Mass of the annual National Prayer Vigil for Life Jan. 28.