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  • Covid-19: Ethical Vaccines

    • Vatican Issues Doctrinal Note on Anti-Covid-19 Vaccines

    Using Aborted-Derived Vaccines: A Moral Analysis

    Fr. Ezra Sullivan O.P. & Fr. Learn Kuriakos, O.P.

    Covid-19 Vaccines Explained

    Archdiocese of Philadelphia
    Office for Life and Family

    Eric Failing from the Pennsylvania Catholic Conferences has received the following updates and clarifications from the USCCB regarding developing  Covid-19 vaccines:

    First, regarding the progress toward a vaccine, while there are more than a hundred proposals underway, perhaps the most relevant list of proposals is the one the Trump Administration has chosen to focus on with its Operation Warp Speed (OWS) vaccine project.   Here we have some good news regarding concerns about proposals connected to aborted foetal cell lines.  Among the current list (it could continue to grow), 5 of the 8 proposals are considered to be “ethical” based on expert scientific analysis concluding that they did not rely upon aborted foetal cells for their design, nor do they use such cells in their production.  The other three are deemed “unethical” because they utilise aborted foetal cell lines in their production. The expert analysis comes from Dr. David Prentice and his fellow scholars at the Charlotte Lozier Institute (CLI) and can be seen in this excellent document: An Ethics Assessment of COVID-19 Vaccine Programs. Another excellent and helpful CLI document is A Visual Aid to Viral Infection and Vaccine Production.

    What follows is the OWS list of proposals with the funding each has received so far from the government.  As you can see, the “ethical” proposals are currently getting almost 4 times more funding than the “unethical” proposals (Vaxart is the most recent addition and hasn’t yet received funding). Of course, this doesn’t necessarily mean that an ethical vaccine will be the first across the finish line, but our advocacy is focused on pushing for at least one ethical vaccine to be made available.

    Ethical:  Novavax ($1.6B); Moderna ($954.9M); Merck ($38M); Sanofi ($2.07B); Pfizer-BioNTech ($1.95B) for a total of $6.5B. 

    Unethical:  J&J ($456M); AstraZenca ($1.2B); Vaxart ($0) for a total of $1.65B. 

    Second, some of you noted following Lauren’s presentation that you had heard some controversy regarding categorising Moderna’s proposal as ethical.   Dr. Prentice and other science experts have reviewed the Moderna proposal and concluded that: 1) its design did not rely upon aborted foetal cells; 2) its production does not utilise aborted foetal cells.  Below is my simplified explanation of Moderna’s COVID vaccine proposal that is based on information from Dr. Prentice and has been reviewed by him for accuracy.  In addition, ethicists have examined the explanation below and have found it satisfactory.


    Explanation of Moderna’s COVID vaccine proposal:

    The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine candidate is composed of a lipid particle (oil droplet) containing genetic instructions (mRNA) that merge with a person’s cells to deliver the instructions inside the cell.  Those instructions tell the cell how to make a viral spike protein (a “flag”) which is either displayed on the outside of the cell or secreted into the blood and body fluids.  Our immune cells see this viral protein, recognise it as foreign, and create antibodies against it.  These antibodies are then stockpiled and ready to attack an actual virus should it invade our body.
    The supposed connection to aborted foetal cell lines in patents does not cite the correct Moderna patent related to its vaccines, and the cites in the incorrect patent are to research concept examples unrelated to the actual vaccine production.  Some Moderna collaborators (NIAID/UT) did use abortion-derived HEK293 cells to produce viral spike protein to test its shape and antibody binding, but their test did not determine the design or production of the nucleic acid sequence, and in fact was done only after Moderna had already determined the genetic sequence needed, developed their mRNA sequence vaccine, and begun production of the mRNA vaccine.  Moderna is not producing a spike protein for its vaccine, nor does it use cell lines (aborted foetal cell or otherwise) in the production of this mRNA vaccine.  Moderna’s vaccine is mRNA (instructions) that tells the body how to produce its own spike protein. Bottom line, Moderna vaccine production does not utilise aborted foetal cells and its design did not rely upon aborted foetal cells.

    Catholic Position Regarding Vaccines Explained

    Vaccines for Covid-19

    Memorandum to the Bishops of the U.S.C.C.B

    Introducing an Ethical Approach to Understanding Vaccines

    Dr. Helen Watt of the Anscombe Bioethical Centre

    Covid-19 Vaccines and the Use of Foetal Cell-lines

    Dr. Helen Watt of the Anscombe Bioethical Centre

    Covid Vaccines: ‘The Ends Cannot Justify the Means’

    Janis Cardinal Pujats, Metropolitan Archbishop Emeritus of Riga
    Archbishop Tomash Peta, Metropolitan Archbishop of the Archdiocese of St. Mary in Astana
    Archbishop Jan Pawel Lenga, Archbishop Emeritus of Karaganda
    Bishop Joseph E. Strickland of Tyler, U.S.A.
    Bishop Athanasius Schneider, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of St. Mary in Astana

    An Opportunity to Rethink Healthcare Ethics:
    Commentary on the Pontifical Academy for Life’s Global Pandemic and Universal Brotherhood (2020)

    Archbishop Anthony Fisher, O.P.
    Archbishop of Sydney, Australia

    Does the Origin of the Fetal Cells Used for Developing Vaccines make Any Difference?

    Brett Salkeld

    Taking the Vaccine in Good Conscience

    Edward Feser

    The Covid-19 Vaccine Should Not Be Mandatory

    Edward Feser

  • Covid -19 & the Hierarchy of Goods

    • Covid-19 and the Hierarchy of Goods

    Fr. Thomas Joseph White, O.P.
    Roman Catholic Theologian
    Director Thomistic Institute, Rome


    What the Covid Pandemic teaches Us About the Honoured but Humble Role of Medicine

    Prof. Farr Curren
    Josiah C. Trent Professor of Medical Humanities
    & CoDirector of Theology, Medicine, and Cultural Initiative at Duke University

    Plagues: What We Can Learn from the Bible

    Fr. Anthony Giambrone, O.P.
    Roman Catholic Theologian & Biblical Scholar

    Is the Corona Virus a Punishment from God?

    Fr. Dominic Legge, O.P.
    Roman Catholic Theologian
    Director Thomistic Institute, Washington D.C.

    Angels and Demons

    Fr. Basil Cole, O.P.
    Roman Catholic Theologian

  • Theology in a Time of Trial


    • Heaven 1: Beatitude of the Soul

    Fr. Simon Francis Gaine, O.P.
    Roman Catholic Theologian

    Heaven 2: Theology of the Body

    Fr. Simon Francis Gaine, O.P.
    Roman Catholic Theologian

    Introduction to Virtue

    Fr. Michael Sherwin, O.P.
    Roman Catholic Theologian

    The Christian Life of Virtue: Faith

    Fr. Michael Sherwin, O.P.
    Roman Catholic Theologian

    The Christian Life of Virtue: Hope

    Fr. Michael Sherwin, O.P.
    Roman Catholic Theologian

    The Christian Life of Virtue: Charity

    Fr. Michael Sherwin, O.P.
    Roman Catholic Theologian

    The Christian Life of Virtue: Prudence

    Fr. Michael Sherwin, O.P.
    Roman Catholic Theologian

    The Christian Life of Virtue: Justice

    Fr. Michael Sherwin, O.P.
    Roman Catholic Theologian

  • HSE Covid-19 Vaccine Information

    • HSE Covid-19 Vaccination Information

    January 2021

    Getting the Covid Vaccine

    25th January 2021

    New Testing & Self-Isolation Requirements For Incoming Travellers to Ireland

    Effective from January 15th, 2021
    Concerning Travellers from Great Britain, South Africa & Brazil

  • Relationship Between Church and State: Canon Law and Civil Law


    • Relationship Between Church and State, Canon Law and Civil Law:
    Problems and Prospects

    Msgr. Paul Pallath
    Professor of Canon Law,
    Commissioner of the Roman Rota,
    Consulter to Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts

    Natural Moral Law and Canon Law

    Fr. Danilo R. Flores
    Professor of Canon Law

    The Art of Legislation:
    The Principles of Lawgiving in the Church

    Fr. Piotr Kroczek, O.P.
    Professor of Canon Law
    Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas
    Rome

  • Assistance at Mass and the Common Good

    • Declan Ganley Interviewed by Raymond Arroyo

    EWTN: The World Over

    Declan Ganley Interviewed by Fr. Brendan Kilcoyne
    On The Banning of Public Mass

    Immaculate Productions

    Declan Ganley Interviewed by Fr. Brendan Kilcoyne
    On the Future of the Catholic Church in Ireland

    Immaculate Productions

    Theology: The Judge of All Human Knowledge

    Prof. Gregory LaNave
    Roman Catholic Theologian


    Inalienable Human Rights Must be Defended

    Statement by Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher at the Human Rights Council
    L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO
    16/02/2021

    Bishops’ Statement on Covid-19

    How Common is Your Good?

    Fr. Aquinas Guilbeau. O.P.
    Roman Catholic Theologian

    The Primacy of the Common Good:
    Against the Personalists and The Principle of the New Order

    Charles De Koninck
    Roman Catholic Philosopher

    Friendship & the Common Good

    Fr. Aquinas Guilbeau. O.P.
    Roman Catholic Theologian

    Freedom, Morality, And Law
    Rediscovering Their Ancient Harmony

    Fr. Aquinas Guilbeau, O.P.
    Roman Catholic Theologian

    Faith and Freedom

    Theologian to the Papal Household—Fr. Wojciech Giertych, O.P.—interviewed on EWTN

    What is Law? A Thomistic Perpective

    Fr. Gregory Pine, O.P.
    Roman Catholic Theologian

  • Suffering & Atonement

    • Salvifici Doloris
    (On the Christian Meaning of Human Suffering)

    Pope St. John Paul II

    Atonement

    Prof. Eleonore Stump
    Roman Catholic Theologian

    Wandering in the Darkness

    Prof. Eleonore Stump
    Roman Catholic Theologian

    Atonement (Detailed Lecture)

    Prof. Eleonore Stump
    Roman Catholic Theologian

  • The Role of Women and the Church

    • The Role of Women and the Church

    Prof. Catherine Pakaluk, (Ph.D. Economics)
    The Busch School of Business
    The Catholic University of America

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