"The Executive Council recognizes no claim of theological or religious exemption from vaccination for our members," the resolution said. She noted that previous ELCA documents opposed broad religious exemptions and viewed medicine as "a gift of God for the good of the community."Įven before the pandemic, the Episcopal Church's Executive Council made clear its stance - adopting a resolution in June 2019 calling for stronger government vaccination mandates. Joseph Parish in Hoboken.Ĭandice Buchbinder, a spokesperson for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, said the denomination is currently studying the question of religious exemptions.
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Alexander Santora, pastor of Our Lady of Grace & St. "I have been asked about six times and have declined," said the Rev. It's different in New Jersey's Archdiocese of Newark, which has advised its priests not to support religious exemptions for their parishioners. "If a Catholic comes to an informed and sure judgment in conscience that he or she should not receive a vaccine, then the Catholic Church acknowledges that the person. "Vaccination is not a universal obligation and a person must obey the judgment of his or her own informed and certain God-given conscience," says one of the letters provided by Stec. Ambrose Catholic Parish in Brunswick, Ohio, said via email. "We have had many requests and have helped quite a number process their letter/request," the Rev. While some bishops have forbidden their priests from assisting in seeking exemptions, other bishops and priests have provided template letters for people claiming conscientious objections from the vaccines on Catholic grounds.
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Catholic Church, there are divisions - even though Pope Francis has been clear in his support for vaccinations.
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"In a serious matter, they should get two concurring medical opinions." "But I always recommend that they get a medical opinion from a competent professional," he added. Rabbi Sholom Lipskar of The Shul of Bal Harbour, an Orthodox synagogue in Surfside, Florida, says he tells congregation members that vaccination should be a matter of free choice.