CNS File photo
By Patrick Downes
Hawaii Catholic Herald
The Diocese of Honolulu will not “mandate” the COVID-19 vaccine for persons who work in Hawaii’s Catholic parishes, schools and other ministries, “but strongly recommends those who are eligible to receive it to do so,” said the diocesan director of human resources Dara Perreira in a Jan. 8 memo to priests, principals and lay employees of the diocese.
“It is a personal choice,” she said.
Perreira also said that those who receive the vaccine must still wear face masks and practice social distancing and other established coronavirus health practices.
Churches must continue sanitizing and cleaning protocols and follow the rules regarding singing at Mass. Schools must maintain their classroom “bubbles” to minimize risk of spreading the virus.
For who can receive vaccinations, the diocese is following the state’s “tiered system of priority recipients” — starting with health care workers, first responders and essential personnel, including educators.
Clergy are not generally considered essential workers, she said, unless they have a relationship with a school that would include them as “educators.”
Those involved in hospital or hospice ministry should follow the guidelines set by the places they serve, she said.
Catholic school volunteers should check with their school to determine if they are eligible to receive the vaccine as essential workers, Perreira said.
As to the moral question regarding Catholic teaching as it relates to the possible use cell lines from aborted children in the development and testing of the vaccine, Perreira refers to a letter by Bishop Larry Silva on the topic.