Catholics support vaccination, with only 7% as "vaccine refusers." In fact, Catholics appear to be ahead of most other faith traditions in stepping up, being pro-life and protecting the common good.Ĭatholic hospitals and universities, likewise, are witnessing the church's commitments to life, healing and the common good by requiring that employees and students who wish to return to offices and campuses and participate in the goods of common life be vaccinated. A recent PPRI poll found that 80% of U.S. In other words: Almost all these deaths could have been prevented.Ĭatholics, for the most part, have shown their commitment to life on this issue. So it will continue each week through September, with COVID-19 potentially becoming again the leading cause of death in the U.S., as it was in January 2021.ĭata from the end of August show that the unvaccinated account for 94-99% of current COVID-19 deaths. By the time you read this, at least another 10,000 people will have died from it - and probably more, since COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations and deaths are growing exponentially as the fourth wave of the pandemic surges. Is there any way that you can consider a religious exemption?'" he said.Last week, 1,150,284 Americans were newly diagnosed with COVID-19, more than 100,000 people were hospitalized and 10,386 people died from it. "We literally were receiving hundreds of phone calls in the last week and a half from health care workers, people who are government employees, teachers saying 'we're going to lose our jobs. An individual can sign their own declination form that explains that the worker is declining vaccination based on religious beliefs.įarrington talked about the letters during an appearance on KCRA 3 Monday morning. The department also pointed out that it is not necessary to have a letter from a church to qualify for a religious exemption. When KCRA 3 News reached out to the Placer County Public Health Department for comment, it stressed that the vaccine is the most important tool to curb the spread of COVID-19. Will we see this going to court? I'm sure we will." "I think people will lose their jobs if they refuse to take the vaccines even if they have exemptions for some positions because the law does not require employers to keep employees on the job if they can't do it," Jacobs said. That means refusing the vaccine could cost some people their jobs. "If we've got employees who have a front-facing job where they have to see people, it would be more than a minimal burden to put them in a non-front-facing position and an employer probably would not be required to do that," Jacobs said. Those accommodations can include allowing employees to take COVID-19 tests instead. Someone sent me an Instagram, and I just got up, started listening to the services here and I drove all the way here to support them in this," Miller said.Ī professor at the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, Leslie Gielow Jacobs, explains that employers can legally require employees to take vaccines as long as they make reasonable accommodations for sincere religious beliefs, which impose a minimal burden on the employer. "I just found out about this at 4 in the morning. Crystal Miller of Merced said she drove for more than two hours. In addition to regulars showing up, there were people who said they went specifically because they heard about the exemption letters. Parking at the church was scarce on Sunday. The letters, signed by Farrington, detail a religious objection to getting the COVID-19 vaccine that people can show their employer. State workers, teachers and health care workers in California are facing requirements to show proof that they have been vaccinated or to take regular tests for COVID-19 if they cite religious or medical exemptions. That's just not right, here in America," Fairrington said. "You have the freedom to choose, and nobody should be able to mandate that you have to take a vaccine or you lose your job. This followed recent announcements from several employers imposing new vaccine requirements on employees.ĭuring Sunday service, Pastor Greg Fairrington of Destiny Christian Church explained his reasons for offering the exemption letters. (KCRA/CNN NEWSOURCE/WKRC) - A church in California handed out hundreds of exemption letters Sunday for people who do not want to take the COVID-19 vaccine.
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