The Patriarchal Letter also addressed the presence of a wide variety of conspiracy theories that cause considerable confusion and sew the seeds of doubt since it is difficult to separate fact from fiction. However, based on reliable reports in mainstream media, the broad issue of forced micro-chipping was also covered.
The letter also reiterated the exploitation of the public health situation for increased state control and the suppression of individual religious freedoms and the rights of the Church.
The complete text of the Patriarchal Letter is given below:
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Faith Must Guide
To the Christian Faithful around the World:
Faith must guide decisions of states regarding public health, as faith must guide all things. The state has reasonable right to impose some restrictions in the interest of public health, but only to a point, for it is not the final arbiter and ultimate authority on matters of health. Neither is the medical community the ultimate arbiter, but rather it is God who controls life.
Recent discussions and movements pertaining to a potential Covid-19 vaccine, the possibility of the use of aborted fetal tissue in vaccine development, and the potential for governments and/or employers to require such a vaccine have raised this question once again, and it is Our sacred right and duty to address it with clarity, humility, and pastoral concern as a shepherd of the Lord. The efficacy of a vaccine is, within the bounds of ethical practices that are consistent with the authentic faith, the primary domain of medical professionals and scientists. However, the ethical framework of such efforts, as well as any state or organisational attempts at imposition of a vaccine all fall completely and entirely within the jurisdiction of Holy Mother the Church.
Let Us first state that We generally believe the concept of vaccines to be positive and overall beneficial. The question here relates specifically to who ethically should and can make the decision regarding whether or not to receive a particular vaccination. Furthermore, regarding the coronavirus vaccines being developed, there is a further concern of the rapid nature of development of said vaccines, which could result in a vaccine rendered problematic. There is also a marked lack of knowledge about the novel coronavirus itself, for much of what was thought to be absolutely true by some scientists several months ago and was used as justification for widespread severe and oppressive government measures against the public has now been revised dramatically. The lack of concrete knowledge is a serious question that must be addressed by the medical and scientific community before any vaccine is released for public use.
To address the issue of vaccine composition, the faithful, as well as governments, must resist the temptation to use aborted fetal tissue in vaccines and vaccine development. This point is not new and is quite clear and absolute.
Next is the movement afoot that promotes the idea that governments ought to mandate that all persons receive a coronavirus vaccine and/or that employers make receiving such vaccination a condition of employment. We are bound by Our duty to point out that such a totalitarian approach by a government requiring a medical procedure – any medical procedure – whether or not it is against the will of the individual, violates the very sanctity of the individual. The human body is a gift from God, placed in the care of the individual. It is for the individual to determine what medical procedures to receive, but only those, naturally, consistent with the laws of God. In the case of children, the law of God is quite clear that it is the parents who are responsible for the care of the body. The state may not mandate anything pertaining to the body except such things that are consistent with the law of God and for which the law of God provides that the state may mandate. It is absolutely illicit for any state to mandate a vaccine for an adult person without free, individual consent, and for a child without the free consent of the parents.
Similarly, it is illicit for any company or organisation to mandate that an employee receive a vaccine or undergo any other medical procedure as a condition of employment, for to do so places the individual’s right to work in the peril. We have spoken on this right of work and threats against it during this pandemic in Our encyclical Intentio Est. Furthermore, such requirements on the part of employers would violate the essential sanctity of medical and health privacy of the individual.
Additionally, We must state in the interest of clarity that We are aware of a plethora of conspiracy theories surrounding the coronavirus vaccine. Conspiracy theories often arise in cases of highly limited public information, with people filling in the gaps with often erroneous material. It is often difficult to separate the truthful content in conspiracy theories from the fanciful and even potentially dangerous content. The faithful are, therefore, cautioned against making decisions precipitously based on conspiracy theories.
However, one topic of overlap between such theories and reports in mainstream media that bears comment is that of forced micro-chipping. Some companies apparently have considered making micro-chipping a condition of employment. Apparently some laws are being considered in some locations to prevent such a condition of employment. Conspiracy theories often suggest that microchips will be introduced by vaccines, including any potential new vaccine for the novel coronavirus. It is neither Our intention nor Our desire to engage in the debate of such conspiracy theories whatsoever. From a standpoint of Christian ethics, the sole issue is that of any potential for forced micro-chipping. We state that it is entirely and absolutely illicit for any state to mandate micro-chipping or the introduction of any substance, object, or device into the human body or for an employer to make a similar mandate as a condition of employment.
What is patently clear to Us is that the pandemic of the novel coronavirus around the world has resulted in a series of acts by governments and organisations to take outrageously dramatic amounts of control over their populations and employees, even to the point of restricting the freedom of religion and the rights of Holy Mother the Church. We have spoken of this not only in Our encyclical Intentio Est, but also in Our encyclicals Orbis Est and Siamo in Guerra, Our ban of 11 April of this year, and Our Patriarchal Letters Religion is Essential and The Collective Choice of Global Lockdown. There is a cultural war afoot around the world with the forces of the Holy Church of Christ on one side and those who stand against all that is sacred that the Church teaches and represents on the other. This pandemic has been exploited to restrict individual freedom, even of the most sacrosanct decisions. It has been exploited to promote the state over God and government over the Church. Indeed the very issue of public health has been exploited to attempt to bolster a cultural revolution already underway that seeks to change the very fabric of society and the nature of religion. We must, therefore, remain vigilant. Although we must reasonably protect our bodies, it is not ultimately the body that we serve, but Almighty God.
Ego Archipater R.
