Dear Parishioners,
Bishop Timothy Freyer, Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Orange, has directed that parishioners be made aware of the moral problems surrounding the Johnson and Johnson vaccine.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) considers the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) vaccine against the coronavirus to be more morally problematic than Pfizer and Moderna. Since Pfizer and Moderna are readily available in Orange County, people are urged to avoid the J&J vaccine if possible. The official statement from the USCCB is worth reading:
https://www.usccb.org/news/2021/us-bishop-chairmen-doctrine-and-pro-life-address-use-johnson-johnson-covid-19-vaccine
The J&J vaccine used stem cells from an aborted baby not only in its testing phase, but also in its development phase.
The Orange County Health Agency has been very attentive to the concerns raised by the Diocese of Orange. Orange County’s official portal to register for the vaccination is Othena.com, which is also available as an app. Othena will now allow for one to opt out of receiving the J&J vaccine. If you are registering through other means, and you can opt out of receiving the J&J vaccine, you are urged to do so.
In Christ,
Fr. Eugene.
