Illinois Republican Rep. Mary Miller on Twitter also celebrated the mandate’s foreseeable end. “The end of this vaccine mandate will lead to the end of every unconstitutional and unjust COVID mandate, and House Republicans must investigate the corruption at the CDC and FDA when we take the majority next month!” she said.
Archbishop of the Military Services USA Timothy Broglio did not respond to CNA’s inquiry for comment.
In the anticipation of the government’s mandate in August 2021, Broglio said that taking the vaccine is morally permissible and that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith’s (CDF) advice “is the best guidance that we, as Catholics, have.” The CDF’s guidance on COVID-19 vaccination can be read here.
In an October 2021 statement on the COVID-19 vaccines, Broglio reiterated that the archdiocese “clearly encourages the faithful entrusted to her care to follow the guidance of the Holy See and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) with regard to COVID-19 vaccines.”
Broglio wrote that “no one should be forced to receive a COVID-19 vaccine if it would violate the sanctity of his or her conscience.”
Citing Pope Paul VI’s Declaration on Religious Freedom, Dignitatis humanae, Broglio wrote that “Individuals possess the ‘civil right not to be hindered in leading their lives in accordance with their consciences.’”
“Even if an individual’s decision seems erroneous or inconsistent to others, conscience does not lose its dignity. This belief permeates Catholic moral theology as well as First Amendment jurisprudence,” he wrote.
“The denial of religious accommodations, or punitive or adverse personnel actions taken against those who raise earnest, conscience-based objections, would be contrary to federal law and morally reprehensible,” Broglio wrote.
Joseph Bukuras is a journalist at the Catholic News Agency. Joe has prior experience working in state and federal government, in non-profits, and Catholic education. He has contributed to an array of publications and his reporting has been cited by leading news sources, including the New York Times and the Washington Post. He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the Catholic University of America. He is based out of the Boston area.