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Bishop Ronald Fabbro in a June 2020 video. Diocese of London / Youtube

LONDON, Ontario (LifeSiteNews) –  A Canadian bishop wants all his clergy, employees, and volunteers to get the COVID jab on pain of dismissal.  

Bishop Ronald Fabbro of London, Ontario has mandated the abortion-tainted COVID inoculation, publishing statements about the severity of COVID-19 and the abortion-tainted jab in an official vaccination policy, dated October 18, 2021. 

“Failure to comply with this policy could result in disciplinary action (which includes being placed on an unpaid leave of absence), up to and including termination of employment for just cause,” he wrote.

“Clergy who refuse vaccination will be removed from current duties. If possible, they will be re-assigned by the Bishop at his discretion to roles that do not feature public contact, and their stipend may be adjusted accordingly.”

Fabbro  did not provide any scientific evidence for his claims in the document, nor did the document cite any biblical or Catholic Church teaching. 

The ordinary of the Diocese of London stated: “COVID-19 is a clear and present threat to society. It is not imaginary as some suggest, or a disease only for the elderly, nor is it a trifling illness like the common cold.” 

However, Fabbro did not provide example of people who have suggested COVID is “imaginary,” and he failed to mention that in Canada the vast majority of serious illness associated with COVID has occurred in the elderly. In addition, mainstream public health experts have suggested that COVID will soon join other endemic respiratory illnesses like the common cold and influenza.  

The bishop added that diocesan personnel “must operate with the understanding that the vaccinations are both safe and necessary.”  However, many people have become seriously injured or died following the available COVID jabs, which are in clinical trials for another two years. Even such vaccine proponents as Bill Gates have acknowledged that experimental medical products are poor at reducing transmission, which calls into question why they could be considered “necessary. ”   

Fabbro stated that all “individuals” and “visitors” working or ministering in the diocese must present proof of full vaccination in order to continue in their role. Individuals include all “bishops, priests, deacons, lay ecclesial ministers, staff (including employees of cemeteries), and volunteers in the Diocese of London.” Visitors “include, but are not limited to: service providers, clergy or lay people coming from other dioceses for temporary ministry.” 

The document presented factors that Bishop Fabbro, a former professor of theology, said were “pertinent” for virological reasons. He believes abortion-tainted vaccines are necessary for those who operate in the diocese because of the proximity of staff and clergy in many diocesan buildings. He reiterated his opinion in the document that “vaccination is simple, safe, and effective.”  

The bishop acknowledged, but downplayed, vaccine injuries, which have included severe heart issues in young men, by stating: “That there may be side effects for some does not negate the general need for these vaccines…” 

Fabbro also cast doubt on social distancing and mask wearing as preventative measures by stating that “masking” or “regular testing” “will not be sufficient” if someone is not vaccinated. Until now all diocesan staff have been required to wear masks when working in proximity with others in a diocesan office, even without a vaccine mandate.   

According to the policy, all clergy, staff, and volunteers have “45 days” from the date of the publication of the policy to show proof of vaccination. Failure to comply “could result in disciplinary action (which includes being placed on an unpaid leave of absence), up to and including termination of employment for just cause.” 

In addition, clergy will be “removed” from their duties if they do not acquiesce to the policy. However, many Catholics, including lay people, priests, and prelates—including Cardinal Raymond Burke and Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò—have refused to take one of the currently available COVID injections because cell lines from aborted babies were used in their development or testing. The Catholic Church teaches that abortion is the killing of innocent human being and thus a serious sin. 

Fabbro stated both that the current policy framework will be “temporary,” and that suspension and termination of employees and clergy who decline the shot “will remain in effect after the pandemic has ended.” 

The diocese will consider medical reasons for exemptions from vaccines, but made it clear that Catholic religious reasons will not be considered as it is the opinion of Bishop Fabbro “that receiving a vaccine is not contrary to the law of the Church.”  

The bishop also intimated that COVID booster jabs will be mandatory “if called for by order of public authority.”  

Over 1600 people have signed a petition protesting the mandate created by Christopher Kowalski, a parishioner in the London, Ontario diocese. The petition includes a copy of an open letter that Kowalski sent to the diocese in protest of the vaccination policy and over two dozen citations of Catholic teaching, the Bible, and medical evidence that contradict Fabbro’s statements regarding the new policy.   

Kowalski’s letter called into question the efficacy of the abortion-tainted jabs and the rationale behind the policy, saying that the policy “cannot meet its utilitarian goals, nor is it consistent with our faith.” 

On November 9, the well-known Catholic author Phillip Lawler published an article critiquing Bishop Fabbro’s policy. Lawler said that rather than writing as a bishop, Fabbro has written “as a public-health official.”  

Lawler also slammed the notion that “visitors” to diocesan property must be vaccinated and that there is “no requirement for the Diocese to accommodate any of these people” by saying: “Who are these people, who come to diocesan and parish offices with their business? Why, ordinary Catholics. When the bishop refers to the Catholic faithful as “these people,” and sees no reason for the diocese to accommodate them, something has gone profoundly wrong—something that will not be fixed by a vaccine.” 

LifeSiteNews has reached out to the Diocese of London for a comment but has not yet received a response. 

Readers can contact the diocese at: 

1070 Waterloo St.
London ON  N6A 3Y2
519-433-0658 

Email can be sent through the contact page of the diocese.  

LifeSiteNews has produced an extensive COVID-19 vaccines resources page. View it here.