ST. JOHN’S, Newfoundland and Labrador (LifeSiteNews) – Multiple parishes in the Archdiocese of St. John’s in Newfoundland have announced that they will be barring those without a COVID vaccine passport from attending certain Masses, going beyond what the state requires them to do.
As of this week, various churches in the Archdiocese of St. John’s, Newfoundland have announced that per archdiocesan instruction, proof of vaccination will be required to attend weekend Mass. In some parishes, those without a vaccine passport will be forced to stay at home and watch Mass via livestream, whereas other parishes are offering separate Masses for those who wish to fulfill their Sunday obligation without having to show proof they have received one of the abortion-tainted injections.
“The public health advisory of November 18, 2021, presented an option to the Archdiocese that would open the Churches for full capacity using the NL [Newfoundland] VaxPass or proof of vaccination. The mandatory use of masks and contact tracing remains,” states the November 28 bulletin of the Basilica Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in St. John’s, Newfoundland. “Beginning on the First Sunday of Advent, we will require NL VAXPASS or proof of vaccination for the 5PM Saturday Mass and the 11AM Sunday Mass.”
“The 9AM Mass on Sunday, as well as weekday Masses where there are small numbers, will remain open to all parishioners; those vaccinated and those who have yet to receive the vaccine. The usual restrictions (mandatory wearing of masks, social distancing, etc.) will apply to these Masses. Parishioners will still need to pre-register for ALL weekend Masses,” added the bulletin.
While the Basilica is offering a discrimination-free option in addition to its vaccinated-only Mass, another parish in the archdiocese, Holy Rosary Parish, has opted to enforce the vaccine discrimination system for all weekend Masses, forcing their unvaccinated parishioners to either stay at home or find a parish that will offer Mass without asking for medical records.
Holy Family Parish, meanwhile, announced on its website that it would be using the VaxPass system but “The room off the porch will be available to accommodate those who have not yet received the vaccine,” with the word “yet” suggesting the unvaccinated will take the shot in the future. “Physical distancing, restricted numbers, and mask wearing will be mandatory when in this room.”
According to the Government of Newfoundland, faith-based gatherings are not mandated by the health authorities to require proof of vaccination, but instead, can opt to keep Masses or services open to everyone as long as they continue abiding by capacity limit restrictions and “social distancing” practices.
In effect, the adoption of the vaccine passport system by the archdiocese was a voluntary decision.
While top Canadian lawyers have questioned the legality of so-called vaccine passports, requiring the injections, which all have connections to fetal cell lines that were sourced from aborted children, is an even greater cause of moral concern for many faithful Catholics and high-ranking clergymen.
Bishop Athanasius Schneider of Astana, Kazakhstan has been one of the most outspoken prelates in regards to abortion-tainted vaccines and medicines, and provides affidavits to members of the Confraternity of Our Lady of Fatima to help them obtain religious exemptions to the increasingly mandated jabs.
Cardinal Raymond Burke has told the faithful, “It must be clear that it is never morally justified to develop a vaccine through the use of the cell lines of aborted fetuses.” And even the Vatican has stated that “practical reason makes evident that vaccination is not, as a rule, a moral obligation and that, therefore, it must be voluntary.”
The Archdiocese of St. John’s is not the only Catholic jurisdiction in the small province of Newfoundland to take such a heavy-handed approach in regards to the experimental vaccine.
In October, the Bishop of Grand Falls-Windsor also barred unvaccinated parishioners from attending Mass.
Under normal circumstances, attendance at Sunday Mass is an obligation for Catholics under the pain of sin. Participating at Mass is considered central to the spiritual life of the faithful Catholic. Even Catholics who have incurred excommunication and thus cannot receive the sacraments are bound to take part in Sunday worship. If there are circumstances that preclude a Catholic from attending Mass, such as illness or necessary travel, then the obligation is lifted from him or her. Neither the diocese of Grand Falls-Windsor or the Archdiocese of St. John’s have announced whether the unjabbed are dispensed from this obligation.
Coronavirus vaccine trials have never produced evidence that the vaccines stop infection or transmission. They do not even claim to reduce hospitalization, but the measurement of success is in preventing severe symptoms of COVID-19 disease. Moreover, there is strong evidence that the “vaccinated” are just as likely to carry and transmit the virus as the unvaccinated.
LifeSiteNews has reached out to the Archdiocese of St. John’s for comment, but has not received a reply.
LifeSiteNews has produced an extensive COVID-19 vaccines resources page. View it here.
Contact information for respectful communication:
Archbishop Peter J. Hundt
Archdiocese of St. John’s
Pastoral Centre
200 Military Road
St. John’s, NL A1C 2E8
(709) 726-3660 (Ext. 230 for archbishop’s office)
[email protected]
[email protected]