Chicago, Ill., Aug 25, 2021 / 15:26 pm
The Archdiocese of Chicago will require all archdiocesan employees and clergy to receive the vaccine for COVID-19 within the next six weeks, and will only allow exemptions for medical reasons.
“We have made this decision convinced that this is the best way to stop the spread of this deadly illness,” Blase Cardinal Cupich of Chicago, said in an Aug. 19 email sent to clergy and staff.
Cardinal Cupich said that he was “following the lead of Pope Francis” by encouraging vaccinations, and that getting vaccinated is “an act of charity.”
The letter explained that once a vaccine is given full approval by the FDA, employees and clergy would be required to get it within six weeks. The vaccine produced by Pfizer, which is now known as “Comirnaty,” was given full FDA approval on Aug. 23.