CHICAGO – Employees and staff of the Chicago Archdiocese are now required to get the COVID vaccination and pastors are not to grant religious exemptions, an email shared with Chicago Crain's said Thursday. From the report:
“We have made this decision convinced that this is the best way to stop the spread of this deadly illness,” Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, said in a Thursday email to clergy and staff. “Following the lead of Pope Francis, we encourage everyone to be vaccinated as an act of charity. … Religious exemptions to vaccination cannot be supported by Catholic teaching and I have instructed our pastors not to grant them.”
Unvaccinated people will be required to get tested weekly and wear masks in Archdiocese facilities at all times, according to the policy. Additionally, unvaccinated people may be prohibited from entering the facilities, or unable to use certain amenities, like lunchrooms.
Earlier this week, Pope Francis issued a statement saying getting the vaccine is "an act of love."
The vaccine has yet to be fully approved by the Federal Drug Administration, and is being distributed with the FDA's Emergency Use Authorization.
More on the story at Crain's
