(Photo by IPA/Sipa USA)
ROME (AP/77WABC) — The Vatican is taking Pope Francis’ pro-vaccine stance very seriously: Any Vatican employee who refuses to get a coronavirus shot without a valid medical reason risks being fired.
A Feb. 8 decree signed by the governor of the Vatican city-state says that employees who opt out of vaccination without a proven medical reason could be subject to sanctions up to and including “the interruption of the relationship of employment.”
The directive cited the need to protect Vatican employees in the workplace, as well as guidelines issued by Francis’ advisory COVID-19 commission, which said individuals have a moral responsibility to get vaccinated “given that refusing a vaccine can constitute a risk for others.”
The decree was signed by the head of the commission governing Vatican City State, Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello, who tested positive for COVID-19 in December, and Bishop Fernando Vergez Alzaga, secretary-general of the office.
The Vatican has had at least 30 reported cases of COVID-19 since March 2020 and no reported deaths.
The Vatican City State’s “public health emergency” decree said receiving the vaccine is part of making a “responsible decision” that recognizes that refusing the vaccine “may also constitute a risk to others” and can lead to a serious increase in risks to public health, quoting a December 2020 joint document by the Vatican COVID-19 commission and the Pontifical Academy for Life.
