Our Student and the COVID Vaccine
The Church's teaching about COVID vaccines is all too often poorly or only partially understood. We are very proud of Luke Luna, a Martin Saints 11th grader, who has gone deeper than most and provided an inspiring example for us all. Here's a refresher on Church teaching, as well as Luke's inspiring story:
Pope Francis and our own Archbishop Pérez have both said, several times, that getting vaccinated is an act of charity and loving our neighbor, a way of protecting others from COVID. This is true, often quoted, and scholars have helpfully explained the reasoning.
Less frequently repeated, however, is that Catholics are also supposed to be supporting the development of vaccines that do not depend on abortion at all, however remotely, in their testing or development. See this document for the details.
Many aspects of modern life depend on things like abortion or child labor, and none of this is acceptable. Future generations will judge us, and the Church calls us to do better, and not to be complacent.
When vaccinated Catholics object to the vaccination-abortion connection, typically that means writing protest letters to pharmaceutical companies. This is an important step, and Martin Saints has recommended these templates several times to our families.
However, Luke Luna, a Martin Saints 11th grader, has gone much further than is typical, and we could not be more proud of him.
Researching how vaccines are made, Luke came across the John Paul II Medical Research Center. This Catholic institute uses adult stems cells and animal testing, so that COVID and other vaccines can be developed with no connection to abortion whatsoever, however remote. Luke has made a short video, which we strongly encourage all to watch, explaining the Center's research and how we can support it.
THANK YOU, Luke, for taking the pro-life message seriously, for doing your homework above and beyond the call of duty, and for showing us a way to support something positive and important.
This is not the first time that the Luna family has made a heroic witness to the Gospel of Life. Several years ago, Luke's little brother was diagnosed with a severe genetic disorder while still in the womb. 75% of babies with this diagnosis are aborted, but the Luna family chose life. Sean Vincent Luna lived only a few hours after birth. The Luna family wrote a children's book about Sean Vincent and their experience with his life, diagnosis, and death. Buy the book and read about it here.
And before we leave the subject of vaccines, we note one other aspect of Church teaching that is quoted all too rarely: "vaccination is not, as a rule, a moral obligation." Those who abstain are morally obliged to take other concrete steps to avoid spreading COVID, but abstaining from the vaccine is permitted in Catholic teaching. In other words, the Church teaches both an obligation to the common good and an individual's freedom of conscience. Both principles must be protected and respected.
We often say at Martin Saints that we are neither liberal Catholics nor conservative Catholics. We aim to be simply "Catholics," without adjective, living the fullness of Church teaching. "Full catechism Catholics," if labels are necessary. We must always insist on the fullness of Catholic teaching - even if it does't reduce to sound bites, even if it asks us to sacrifice (cheerfully, without resentment), even if it makes us politically lonely. Luke Luna, by pointing us towards the John Paul II Medical Research Center, has given us an example of how Catholic fidelity should lead to renewed hope, light, creativity, and ingenuity. THANK YOU, LUKE.
