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The archdioceses of Philadelphia and Chicago have instructed their clerics to not provide parishioners religious exemptions from receiving COVID-19 vaccines. The archbishop of Chicago said Catholics are free to determine their own actions, but they cannot use the teaching of the church to justify such decisions. He said there is no basis in Catholic moral teaching for rejecting vaccine mandates on religious grounds.
A campaign to legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia in Italy is gaining ground. Activists circulated a petition to bring to vote a referendum to change Italy’s law concerning euthanasia. The change would effectively decriminalize assisted suicide for adults. The petition reportedly reached the minimum signatures needed for parliament to choose whether to initiate the referendum.
The Diocese of Arlington has released an eight-page document about gender ideology. The document states that Catholics must show charity for self-identified transgender people, without compromising their faith, or adopting simplistic solutions offered by activists. The document rejected bullying of any person experiencing gender dysphoria, but also warned of a great danger of a misguided charity and false compassion.
Today is the feast of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux. Bernard is a Doctor of the Church. His writings and sermons greatly influenced Europe during the 12th century.