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Pope Francis: "An Act of Love" - vaccination

Glaurung

Denizen of Niflheim
Since it has come up I'll talk about it in plain English.

In Catholic thought there is a principle called cooperation in evil. In a nutshell, this principle states that it is impermissible to knowingly aid in or benefit from another person's sin. For instance, if a friend robs a store and then uses some of that money to buy me an expensive watch, I sin if I choose to accept that watch knowing it was bought with stolen money. I may have had nothing to do with the theft itself, but that alone does not give me license to knowingly benefit from it.

Likewise, some Catholics feel that to take a vaccine developed from cell lines acquired from an abortion is to knowingly benefit from a sinful act. However, the Church also teaches that remote cooperation in evil can be permissible in sufficiently grave circumstances if that cooperation brings about a greater good. The good of the vaccines (in such circumstances as a pandemic) is of greater weight than the obligation to avoid an extremely remote cooperation in an abortion procured decades ago. So Catholics can and should accept the vaccines.
 

sun rise

The world is on fire
Premium Member
Since it has come up I'll talk about it in plain English.

In Catholic thought there is a principle called cooperation in evil. In a nutshell, this principle states that it is impermissible to knowingly aid in or benefit from another person's sin. For instance, if a friend robs a store and then uses some of that money to buy me an expensive watch, I sin if I choose to accept that watch knowing it was bought with stolen money. I may have had nothing to do with the theft itself, but that alone does not give me license to knowingly benefit from it.

Likewise, some Catholics feel that to take a vaccine developed from cell lines acquired from an abortion is to knowingly benefit from a sinful act. However, the Church also teaches that remote cooperation in evil can be permissible in sufficiently grave circumstances if that cooperation brings about a greater good. The good of the vaccines (in such circumstances as a pandemic) is of greater weight than the obligation to avoid an extremely remote cooperation in an abortion procured decades ago. So Catholics can and should accept the vaccines.
The Pope has said it's OK. I'm not sure what his reasoning is, but what you wrote sounds like something he might have thought.
 

metis

aged ecumenical anthropologist
The fetal cells that are used are from lines decades old, thus it's better to try and save lives today than to just dwell on the past.
 

metis

aged ecumenical anthropologist
There are other arguments that could convince people to accept vaccines.

Ciao

- viole
Great shock value, and it brings the point home quite well.

BTW, another approach is to mention that if one is afraid to take the vaccine because of questioning what's in it, maybe ask them if they eat hot dogs, sausage, and or chicken?
 
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