Homily of 26th Sunday Year A

 

OPTION FOR GOD NEEDS CORRESPONDING ACTIONS 

1st Reading - Ezekiel 18:25-28

Responsorial Psalm - Psalms 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9

2nd Reading - Philippians 2:1-11 Or Philippians 2:1-5

Alleluia - John 10:27

Gospel - Matthew 21:28-32

Dear friends, the profession of faith in God, which we did on the day of baptism and have continued to do at Mass and other prayers, is very important. However, this profession of faith will not be sufficient to take us to heaven if it is not supported with corresponding actions. Hence, it is possible that someone who has made a choice to follow or serve God will not enter the kingdom of God on the last day. It is also possible that a person whose initial choice was a rejection of God will enter heaven on the last day. Everything depends on a person’s active choice at the moment of death, made possible by a sincere change of heart. In the readings of today, the church teaches us the possibility of these suppositions.

In the gospel reading of today, Jesus gives a good example of a change of heart that affected the initial choice/decision of life. The first son in today’s parable made the first decision not to obey his father, but he had a change of heart that affected or changed his bad choice of not doing the will of his father. At the end, he did the will of his father. Then, the second son started with obedience, but, along the way, he had a change of heart that changed him from good to bad. At the end, he failed to do the will of his father. Let us say he did not follow his good first choice with good actions. Though, none of the two sons could be said to be perfect, because the perfect son would be the son who said ‘yes’ at the beginning and maintained ‘yes’ till the end, the first son, who said ‘no’ and later had a change of heart from bad to good, and did the will of his father, is the better son.

Jesus used the second son to represent the Pharisees and other leaders of the people of Israel, who were regarded as righteous. On the other hand, the first son was used to depict the publicans and prostitutes, who were the known sinners in the community. The purpose of this parable was to give a wake-up call to the Pharisees and elders. The parable hints that the position of the Pharisees and elders as leaders of the Chosen People of God gives them no guarantee that they will possess the Kingdom of God. Rather, it tells them that if they continue to disobey God’s will and refuse to obey God’s call to repentance, they will not enter heaven. On the other hand, it stated that if the tax-collectors and sinners, who were despised, repent of their sins, and obey God – that is, do a sincere change of heart - they will be welcomed into the Kingdom of God.

As Christians, we have said ‘yes’ to the will of God at baptism and, continually, through the daily profession of faith - we have made a fundamental option for God - but this ‘yes’ will not save us if we do not live according to it by doing the will of God in our daily lives. Heaven will not be ours if we say ‘yes’ before God and, then, say ‘no’ to doing his will when we are with our friends. If we continue to take the mercy of God for granted, those we refer to as sinners may be better than us on the day of judgment. When we model our lives in ways that contradict our Christian calling and faith, we have changed the fundamental option we made for God. Hence, we are called today to allow the ‘yes’ we have said to God and before God to influence the particular choices we make every day of our lives.

The prophet Ezekiel, in the first reading of today, shows us a clearer reality of the power and of this change of heart. He invites us to realize what a change of heart, from being good to being bad, can do to our former good works for God and humanity. He said if the upright man abandons his uprightness and turns to evil life, and dies in that evil life, his uprightness will be forgotten on the day of judgment. He will rather be judged for the evil things that he did. On the contrary, if the wicked renounces his wickedness and starts doing good, and dies in doing good, his wickedness will be forgotten on the judgment day. We do not want God to forget all the good things we have done in life on the day of judgment.

Dearest friends, the prophet Ezekiel is telling us that the option that is active on the last day of our lives will determine where we will go. Though it is wonderful to decide to follow God from the beginning of our lives, the last decision for him or against him is decisive on the judgment day. However, this is not a call for us to wait till the last days of our lives to make a decision to abandon evil and start doing good, nor is it an invitation to postpone our decision to follow God, because it is obvious that we do not know when the last days of our lives will be. Let us remember that for some people, the last days came at 10 years, for others at 20, 30, 50, 70 or more. It is rather a call for us to decide to follow God and, then, accompany this decision with good actions from the beginning of our lives till the end.  In the second reading, Saint Paul calls us to accompany this decision to follow God with the life of humility and placing others first before ourselves. All of us who have said ‘yes’ to God should remain steadfast is doing good till the end.  

The prophet Ezekiel also shows us the power of God’s mercy. We have a God who is ready to forgive us and wipe away the guilt of our sins even if we turned to him on the last day of our lives. Therefore, let no one think that he is too dirty to come to God; no sin is too big for God to forgive. The merciful heart of God is calling us to make this change of heart, abandon our evil ways and start this journey back to God. He will wipe away our evil past and begin a new page for us.

Let us join the Psalm of today in saying, “Remember that your compassion, O LORD, and your love are from of old. The sins of my youth and my frailties remember not; in your kindness remember me, because of your goodness, O LORD.”

Fr. Isaac Chinemerem Chima

Pontificia Università della Santa Croce, Roma.

Homily of 25th Sunday Year A

Kill that envy before it destroys you.

First reading: Is. 55:6-9

Second reading Phil. 1:20c-24.27a

Gospel Mt. 20:1-16 

Dear friends, for the past three Sundays, Jesus has been teaching us ways to build a better Christian community. Two Sundays ago, he gave us the task of fraternal correction. Last week Sunday, he told us to forgive those who offended us. This Sunday, he gives us yet another wonderful theme for the good of the Christian community and our personal wellbeing. It is a call to avoid envy and recognize the needs of other people. This theme is seen in the parable of the gospel of today. Hence, to have a good Christian community, we must avoid envy.

Frankly speaking, the parable in the gospel of today seems difficult to understand when we apply our standard of justice to the action of the landowner. For example, if we say the landowner was being generous to the last workers, why was he not generous to the first set of workers too? At least it is assumed that they did the major part of the work. So, his action could hardly be said to be fair if we look at it with ordinary social terms. But the simple explanation of the parable is in the first reading from the prophet Isaiah. He said: “my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.” (Is. 55:9)

Friends, when we understand that what the landowner paid to the first set of workers was what he actually agreed with them, that is one denarius, we will realise that he committed no offense against them. So, the reason for the negative reaction from the first set of workers was not because the landowner did not pay them according to their agreement with him, rather, it was because they received the same payment with those who were employed late. In actual fact, they would have been happy if the landowner paid less amount to the other people. Friends, that was where envy actually set in. Their anger was not because of a breach of contract, but because of the generosity of the landowner to those he wanted to help.

Dear friends, during the time of Jesus, the daily wage of a Jewish worker was one denarius. Anything short of that will make daily sustenance very difficult for the family of the worker. So, what the landowner paid to the late workers was a wage sufficient for their daily sustenance. He was looking at their survival instead of what they earned from the work they did.  Friends, this is how the love of God is. God looks at our needs, not at our qualifications. But on the part of the first workers, the needs of the late workers did not concern them. They would have rather been happy if the late workers were paid something less. Their joy would have been to see the late workers going home with less means for daily survival. Friends, envy closes the eyes of those who harbour them in their hearts to the needs of their neighbours and friends. Then, it pushes them to desire to have a quality, possession, or other desirable attributes belonging to someone else. It makes them to unduly seek to be greater than others; to be good at the expense of other people.

An envious person is not happy when everyone is the best or when everyone is doing well. He is not comfortable when others are praised along with him. He is disturbed when good things are happening to others. He is only happy when the world revolves around him: he feels happy when he alone is the best; he enjoys it when he is rising and, then, others are falling; he is happy if he is the first to get the good things of life; so long as others remain less successful than him, he has no problem. Do we have people who behave this way in our church or community? Do we have those who get angry when other people are making progress in their talents and businesses? Do we have those who are only happy when other people are in difficulty? Do we have people who feel it is their right to be favoured? Do we have people who malign those who are doing better than them? This type of life cannot be called Christian. Envy destroys good community life. Therefore, dear friends, Jesus invites us today to purge our hearts of envy if we want to build up a good Christian community.

Fr. Isaac Chinemerem Chima

Pontificia Università della Santa Croce, Roma

Archbishop Obinna calls for Abolition of Osu/Ume/Diala/Ohu divides in Igbo land

 

September 15: The Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Sorrows

Today, the Church celebrates the memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Sorrows. It is a celebration that appreciates the Blessed Virgin Mary for her participation in the passion of Christ. Mary actively participated in the passion and sorrows of her son, Jesus Christ. 

The church recounts seven sorrows of the blessed Virgin Mary for and with Christ:

1. The Prophecy of Simeon (Luke 2:34-35)
2. The Flight into Egypt (Matthew 2:13-21)
3. The Loss of Jesus for Three Days (Luke 2:41-50)
4. The Carrying of the Cross (John 19:17)
5. The Crucifixion of Jesus (John 19:18-30)
6. Jesus Taken Down from the Cross (John 19:39-40)
7. Jesus Laid in the Tomb (John 19:39-42)

The Blessed Virgin Mary made herself available to the will of God, even when God's will meant suffering in her life. She always believed that the will of God was the best in her life. 

Let us pray for the help and intercession of Our Mother Mary in our sufferings and for those who are suffering in our world.

Homily of 24th Sunday Year A

 

Theme: Forgive and you will be forgiven

Sirach 27:30 - 28:9

Psalm 102

Romans 14:7-9

Matthew 18:21-35                                                                                                          

Dear friends, last week, Jesus challenged all Christians to condemn sin and, with love, correct those who do evil wherever they are found. In the readings of this Sunday, he gives us a beautiful theme for the building up of every Christian community; a theme that will show the difference between those who belong to Christ and those who do not belong to Him. It is the theme of forgiveness. The readings remind us that if we want to have a true Christian life, that is, enjoy a true relationship with God, have a good relationship with human beings and live a healthy life, we must walk the path of forgiveness, mercy and reconciliation.

Some people are always happy when they carry out revenge. Some say they feel relaxed whenever they avenge for the evil done to them. Some feel happy when they are called ‘cross and die’. One of the Nigerian musicians summed it up in his song saying, “if you do me I do you, man no go vex; touch me I touch you, man no go vex.”  But, dear friends, the first reading of today did not welcome this feeling. It says those who revenge, will suffer revenge from God. According to it, revenge is a product of unforgiveness, then, unforgiveness, which is caused by anger, hatred, rancor, and wrath, destroys our relationship with God. The author of the first reading says it is contradictory to ask God for forgiveness when we have refused to forgive the sins committed against us by a brother or a sister. This is true. If you want mercy from God, then, you must show mercy.

Anger, rancor, and hatred, which are the roots of unforgiveness, have both physical and spiritual disadvantages. Physically, thy cause sleepless nights and unrest. In fact, Psychologists and physiologists say that when one is angry, his body releases a lot of adrenaline, which hurts his entire physical composition and causes sicknesses. Stomach ulcers are traceable to moments of anger and unrest. Spiritually, the first reading tells us that anger, rancor, hatred, and resentment make us not to forgive others, and, as such, they destroy our relationship with God. It went to the extent of calling them abominations. When we refuse to forgive others, God will not forgive us. Let us remember that it is practically impossible for a Christian to be at peace with God if he is not at peace with his fellow Christians. The forgiveness we offer to others opens our hearts to receive forgiveness from God; in short, it is an indispensable condition for the reception of forgiveness and healing from God. Friends, lack of forgiveness makes us prisoners of our unhappy past, but forgiveness liberates us, helping us to be at peace with our memories. When we withhold forgiveness, we remain perpetual victims, but when we offer forgiveness, we regain our well-being.

At the end, the first reading urges us to remember the shortness of our lives and, then, stop hating and revenging. We must eschew anger, hatred, rancor, and resentment, and, then, forgive offenders, if we want to remain healthy and enjoy good relationship with God as well.

The gospel of today, with the parable of the unforgiving servant, gives us a deeper understanding of the first reading. The question of Peter and the response of Christ have a lesson for us. The question of Peter was suggesting a limit to forgiveness. Actually, the Hebrew culture and religion (cf. Amos 2:6) put it that one can retaliate after forgiving for three times. By pushing it to seven times, a biblical perfect number, Peter was asking if there is an extent one can endure and, then, have a legitimate access to vengeance. But, dear friends, the response from Christ, which says seventy-seven times seven, suggests that, for Christians, there should be no limit to our forgiveness. Every Christian has the duty to forgive without giving conditions to offenders.

The reason why we should not have limit nor give conditions in our forgiveness is because God’s forgiveness to us is without limits and conditions. We should realize that what we are required to forgive cannot be compared to the innumerable grave sins which God forgives in our lives every day. This is the lesson of the parable of the gospel of today. A hundred denarii, which the second servant owed the first servant, cannot be compared to the ten thousand talents, which the first servant owed to the master. A Hundred denarii is less than one percent of ten thousand talents. So, if the master cancelled such big amount of money for the first servant, it was expected of that first servant, out of joy and gratitude, to cancel the small amount which the second servant owed him. But he refused. His action can only be explained as ungrateful. Friends, this is how we appear in the presence of God when we refuse to forgive evil done against us. We become ingrates to God’s loving heart whenever we refuse to forgive others.

Finally, the Lord’s prayer, which we pray every day, tells us, “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespassed against us.” And Jesus added something at the end of the only prayer he taught us, he said, “Yes, if you forgive others their sins, your heavenly Father will forgive you yours; but if you do not forgive others, your heavenly Father will not forgive your sins either.” (cf. Mt. 6:14-15) So, if we have not been forgiving others, it implicitly means that all the sins we have confessed have not been forgiven by God. We will be fooling ourselves if we pray the ‘Our Father’ and, yet, refuse to forgive others. Sirach 28:2 said, “Pardon your neighbour any wrongs done to you and when you pray, your sins will be forgiven.”

Therefore, dearest friends, let us go home today, search our hearts, discover all those who offended us and do for them what Jesus has done for us on the cross of calvary and what he keeps doing for us at confession. Let us stop keeping a list of those who offended you.  

  

Fr. Isaac Chima

Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, Rome. 

Homily of 23rd Sunday Year A

 

Theme: Fraternal correction is neither Judgment nor Condemnation

Ezekiel 33:1,7-9

Psalm 94

Romans 13:8-10

Matthew 18:15-20

Dearest friends, we live in a world where individualism has affected all sectors of our lives, including the Christian life. We live in a world where no one feels he has any responsibility in the spiritual and moral life of other people. We have a world where no one wants to be corrected in his sins and mistakes. Ours is a world where correction is treated as judgment, where fraternal correction is seen as judgment or condemnation. In situations of this nature, the church invites us to the correct teaching about fraternal correction and judgment, and also the procedures we should follow when correcting those who have erred.

In the first reading of today, the prophet Ezekiel received a mandate from God. God chose him to perform the work of a watchman over the house of Israel. In fact, God revealed to him what it means to be prophet. God told him that he has chosen him to tell the sinners in the house of Israel their sins, that is, to correct them in their sins; to tell the wicked man to abandon his sins. If the prophet does this work and the man repents, the wicked man will be saved. But if the wicked man refused to repent and dies in his sins, the prophet will not be held responsible for the sin of the wicked man. However, God warned the prophet that if he, on the contrary, refused tell the wicked man to come out of his sins, and the wicked man dies in his sins, the prophet will be held responsible for the death of the wicked man. This is a call to be responsible for the lives of other people.

Dear friends, the first reading is telling us that the act of correcting those who have erred, those who are not living according to the teachings of Christ, the church and the good moral standards of the society, is a divine vocation. Fraternal correction is the vocation of every Christian because, from our baptism, we have been made prophets to share to share in the prophetic ministry of Christ. Like Ezekiel, God is telling us that he has placed us as watchmen in the lives of other people, to tell them their sins, to correct them in their mistakes, and to be responsible for the way they live their lives. If you fail to correct those who err, you will share in the guilt of their sins. That was what God told prophet Ezekiel.

Therefore, it is wrong for people to feel that they have been judged or condemned when someone corrected them. Fraternal correction is neither judgement nor condemnation, but a divine assignment. All those who feel that to correct them means to judge them, the church is calling you to change this mentality. You should remember that Jesus equally corrected the scribes and the pharisees. In fact, the greater part of the New testament is a collection of corrections from Jesus and his disciples to Jews and Gentiles.  On the other hand, all those who are afraid of correcting others, those who feel it does not concern them, God will hold you responsible for this on the last day.

The gospel of today gives us some procedures which we must follow to correct those who have wounded community life with their sins. It is a way we must follow to restore peace, harmony, and love in a Christian community. In the first place, Jesus tell us that when someone offends us, the first thing to do is to go to him personally and tell him where he erred. Hence, it is wrong to start telling others the mistakes of a brother or a sister if you have not corrected him/her personally. This is a noble way of resolving conflicts. If we follow this step, we will win back many offenders. The second step, he said, is to be used when the first step failed. This means, we should only involve a third party in dispute resolution if we have personally talked to our offender and he refused to listen to us. The third party also must be from the Christian community. Then the last step is to involve the community of believers. We should not miss these paths. With these procedures, Jesus was saying that conflicts should be resolved within the Christian community. Conflicts among Christians are not occasions for litigation. Rather, they are occasions to reactivate communal love.

The second reading gives us another beautiful step on how to correct those who have erred. It says we must do it with love. We should not correct offenders with pride and arrogance; rather, we must lovingly and prudently correct whoever errs. Also, we must lovingly and prudently forgive others. Still in the spirit of love, we must humbly accept correction whenever we received it. Finally, we must humbly and prudently ask for forgiveness when we have erred others.

Fr. Isaac Chima 

Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, Rome 

Absurdity of defending recent hike in petrol price: A letter to Lai Mohammed

 

With the recent hike in the price of petrol in Nigeria, from N145/liter to N162/liter at gas stations, by the Federal Government and its ferocious criticisms from Nigerians, the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, in his usual way, took the stage to defend the clueless, inept, visionless and insensitive attitude of the federal government to the plight of the common Nigerians at a time of excruciating economic hardship caused by the covid19 pandemic. This time, he said the angry reactions are unnecessary and totally mischievous because petrol in Nigeria remains the cheapest in Africa.

Farooq Kperogi has, however, given a wonderful punch to the Minister and his unfortunate and malevolent excuses. Farooq did this in a publication in the Nigerian Tribune online on 8 September entitled ‘Four Reasons It’s Stupid to Compare Nigeria’s Petrol Prices with other Countries.’

He wrote:

In trying to justify Buhari’s latest callous hike in the price of petrol (amid a pandemic, no less), Buhari’s supporters increasingly sound like noisome idiots straining hard to be low-grade morons. Here are four reasons it’s stupid to compare Nigeria’s petrol prices with others.

1. Nigeria is the undisputed poverty capital of the world, thanks entirely to Buhari’s inept “leadership.” That means, on average, most countries on earth have a higher standard of living than Nigeria. With a $77 per month minimum wage, Nigeria has one of the lowest minimum wages in the world. In other words, everyday Nigerians are worse off than most people in the world and don’t have the same economic vitality as citizens of other countries.

2. Nigeria is an oil-producing country. It’s unreasonable to deny Nigerians the expectation of cheaper prices for petrol. It’s like asking people to hold cream on their hands while their faces and bodies are dry. That’s cruelty. Most Nigerians would be at peace with high petrol prices if their country doesn’t produce oil. A wealthy parent who starves his children and justifies his cruelty by pointing to the starvation of the children of his poor neighbours is an irresponsible parent who doesn’t deserve his children. Buhari and his gang of buccaneers are irresponsible to invoke the petrol prices in neighbouring African countries (that are not oil producers) as a justification for increasing domestic petrol prices.

3. Oil is the engine of the Nigerian economy in ways it isn’t elsewhere. When the price of petrol goes up in Nigeria, everything else goes up—except, of course, the already measly salaries of everyday people. This is not the case in many countries. In the US, Benin Republic, even Saudi Arabia, etc., fluctuations in the price of petrol doesn’t automatically activate across-the-board inflation. So, you can’t just arbitrarily jack up petrol prices and ignore its other unsettling effects on other facets of the Nigerian society.

4. A way bigger waste than the “waste” of petrol “subsidy” that people aren’t talking about is the extortionate amounts Nigeria expends to subsidise the obscene opulence of its political elite—from the president down to a ward councillor. If the subsidies that finance the luxuries of the political class (such as billions budgeted to buy new cars in the presidency every year) are directed towards everyday Nigerians, Nigeria can afford way cheaper petrol than it currently does.

And I add that the Minister should, as well, tell Nigerians how much the goods produced in these other countries are sold in Nigeria. If the prices that these foreign goods are sold in Nigeria are the same compared to their prices in the countries that produced them, we will certainly begin to reason along with him.

Pope Francis signs new encyclical Oct. 3

 

The Vatican announced Saturday that Pope Francis will sign the third encyclical of his pontificate in Assisi on October 3.

The encyclical is entitled Fratelli tutti, which means “All Brothers” in Italian, and will focus on the theme of Human Fraternity and social friendship, according to the Holy See Press Office.

Pope Francis will offer a Mass at the tomb of St. Francis in Assisi privately at 3 p.m. before signing the encyclical on the day before St. Francis’ feast day.

Human fraternity has been an important theme for Pope Francis in recent years. In Abu Dhabi the pope signed “A Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together” in Feb. 2019. Pope Francis’ message for his first World Day of Peace as pope in 2014 was “Fraternity, foundation and pathway for peace.”

Pope Francis’ previous encyclical, Laudato Si’, published in 2015, had a title taken from St. Francis of Assisi’s “Canticle of the Sun” prayer praising God for creation. Prior to that he published Lumen Fidei, an encyclical begun by Pope Benedict XVI.

The pope will return from Assisi to the Vatican on Oct. 3. The beatification of Carlo Acutis will take place in Assisi the following weekend, and the “Economy of Francis” economic summit is also scheduled to take place in Assisi in November.

“It is with great joy and in prayer that we welcome and await the private visit of Pope Francis. A stage that will highlight the importance and necessity of fraternity,” Fr. Mauro Gambetti, the custodian of the Sacred Convent of Assisi said Sept. 5

Ethical Polio Vaccine: Catholics thank Drug Company

 

Catholic leaders in the U.S. have welcomed the news that one of the world’s biggest vaccine producers has decided to switch to ethical polio vaccine and discontinue a polio vaccine derived from an abortion fetal cell line.

Sanofi-Pasteur, company among the three largest vaccine manufacturers globally, will instead use an ethical animal cell line in the production of its polio vaccine. The company has also committed itself to developing a COVID-19 vaccine that does not use a cell line from an elective abortion.

“We welcome these opportunities where we can illustrate the Church’s eager embrace of scientific advancement when it upholds the dignity of the human person and the precious gift of human life,” said Greg Schleppenbach, associate director of the Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities for the U.S. bishops’ conference.

In a Sept. 2 memo to diocesan pro-life directors and state Catholic conference directors, Schleppenbach noted “that the FDA recently approved Sanofi-Pasteur’s request to switch from using an aborted fetal cell line (MRC-5) to using an ethical animal cell line to produce its polio combination vaccines Pentacel and Quadracel.”

Sanofi-Pasteur has also announced that it will no longer produce a stand-alone polio vaccine, Poliovax, which was created from the same aborted fetal cell line. Instead, it will retain a different stand-alone vaccine, IPOL, which was ethically developed.

“Furthermore, Sanofi-Pasteur’s ongoing effort to develop a vaccine for COVID-19 also does not rely on cell lines linked to elective abortion,” Schleppenbach said.

For years, ethical concerns have been raised about the development of some vaccines with cells lines created from the cells of aborted babies.

A 2005 document from the Pontifical Academy for Life concluded that it is both morally permissible and morally responsible for Catholics to use vaccines prepared in cell lines descended from aborted fetuses, if no alternative is available.

However, the document said Catholics have an obligation to use ethically-sourced vaccines when possible, and when alternatives do not exist, they have an obligation to speak up and request the development of new cell lines that are not derived from aborted fetuses.

 “One important step we can take to ensure the production of ethical vaccines is to recognize and thank drug companies, like Sanofi-Pasteur, when they move away from unethical vaccine production,” said Schleppenbach in his memo.

He asked local pro-life leaders to encourage Catholics to send a note of thanks to Sanofi-Pasteur.

“We can hope that, with some encouragement, other vaccine manufacturers may consider creating other morally acceptable vaccines,” he said.

Schleppenbach also noted that the U.S. bishops’ conference has “an active campaign urging the FDA to ensure that a COVID-19 vaccine is produced free from complicity with abortion.”

“This move from Sanofi-Pasteur is an encouraging indicator that for-profit companies creating vaccines are beginning to recognize there is no need to use cell lines derived from aborted children,” he said.

Dr. Michael Parker, president of the Catholic Medical Association and Dr. Joseph Meaney, president of the National Catholic Bioethics Center, also applauded the development from Sanofi-Pasteur.

In a joint July 21 letter to Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City, Kansas, who heads the U.S. bishops’ pro-life committee, Parker and Meaney said the move means fewer ethical dilemmas for Catholic and pro-life parents.

“Sanofi-Pasteur’s actions demonstrate that it is possible to make safe and effective vaccines without resort to AFCLs [aborted fetal cell lines], and even to remove AFCLs from vaccines currently in use,” they said.

“Sanofi-Pasteur’s approach to a vaccine for COVID-19 shows its commitment to developing future vaccines without resorting to use of AFCLs.”

“[T]oo often people have been told that there is not much that can be done about the use of AFCLs in vaccines, particularly in pediatric vaccines,” Parker and Meaney said.

They noted that the widespread use of these vaccines has also been used to justify further unethical research.

“Sanofi-Pasteur’s actions show that moral and medical progress is possible,” they said. “We should celebrate this and request—even demand—more from the pharmaceutical industry.”