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(LifeSiteNews) — Joining me on today’s episode of The John-Henry Westen Show is a courageous priest standing up to his bishop’s request that he get the abortion-tainted COVID vaccine.

Fr. Peter Williams of the Diocese of Burlington (Vermont) said Bishop Christopher Coyne previously emailed all the priests in the diocese asking them to get vaccinated, lest they be subjected to regular testing and mask-wearing. But Fr. Peter responded that getting the COVID vaccine would violate his conscience. He also said the testing and masking felt like an unfair “punishment” for refusing the vaccine.

This set off a dispute with Bishop Coyne and the diocesan vicar general, both of whom have threatened Fr. Peter with suspension or forced resignation because of his alleged refusal to fulfill his vow of obedience.

“I think recently, especially the parish priests, [they’re] like caged dogs, and the bishop comes and beats them with a stick every once in a while to get them to comply with whatever he wants them to do, and then the people do the same,” he said.

Fr. Peter explained that he’s not speaking out just for himself, but for the good of the Church.

“Conscience is not just kind of an authority, it is the supreme authority,” he said. “And that’s what the Church teaches. And of course, it has to be well-informed, and we count on the Church, the sacraments, the Scriptures, the teaching of the Church and all of those things to inform us and be well-informed. But that’s paramount.”

“Not my bishop or not my Pope are going to stand with me on Judgment Day. It’s just me before Jesus,” he added. “There will be no excuse when He says to me, ‘You knew better.'”

Listen to today’s episode below:

The John-Henry Westen Show is available by video on the show’s YouTube channel and right here on my LifeSite blog.

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John-Henry is the co-founder, CEO and editor-in-chief of LifeSiteNews.com. He and his wife Dianne have eight children and they live in the Ottawa Valley in Ontario, Canada.

He has spoken at conferences and retreats, and appeared on radio and television throughout the world. John-Henry founded the Rome Life Forum, an annual strategy meeting for life, faith and family leaders worldwide. He is a board member of the John Paul II Academy for Human Life and the Family. He is a consultant to Canada’s largest pro-life organization Campaign Life Coalition, and serves on the executive of the Ontario branch of the organization. He has run three times for political office in the province of Ontario representing the Family Coalition Party.

John-Henry earned an MA from the University of Toronto in School and Child Clinical Psychology and an Honours BA from York University in Psychology.

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