Fr Daniel Finnerty is Pastor of Assumption Catholic Church in Geneva, Ohio. He posted the following on the parish website:
I have received a number of calls and letters concerning the development of the new COVID-19 vaccines and their connection to using cell lines of aborted fetal tissue. To briefly summarize, the bishop’s conference has concluded that,
“Neither the Pfizer nor the Moderna vaccine involved the use of cell lines that originated in fetal tissue taken from the body of an aborted baby at any level of design, development, or production. They are not completely free from any connection to abortion, however, as both Pfizer and Moderna made use of a tainted cell line for one of the confirmatory labtests of their products.There is thus a connection, but it is relatively remote.”
Some are asserting that if a vaccine is connected in any way with tainted cell lines then it is immoral to be vaccinated with them. This is an inaccurate portrayal of Catholic moral teaching.
Thus, “In view of the gravity of the current pandemic and the lack of availability of alternative vaccines, the reasons to accept the new COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna are sufficiently serious to justify their use, despite their remote connection to morally compromised cell lines.” However, the bishops have said that this is not the case for the AstraZeneca vaccine, which is much more morally compromised, and should be avoided.
I am providing links to the full statements of the US Bishop’s and teachings on this matter, which I hope will help to remove any misgivings you might have about these vaccines.
Ashtabula Health Info 