Colloquia Theologica Ottoniana

Research on the development of new vaccines, their production, distribution, and the vaccination process itself have raised some moral issues. The COVID-19 pandemic has provoked a debate on ethical issues concerning vaccination among various communities (medical, bioethical, ecclesiastical, and political). The aim of this article is to review official documents of the Catholic Church that present its position on COVID-19 vaccines. In light of the analyses of the documents issued by both the Holy See and selected Episcopal Conferences, it is apparent that the topic has received much attention during the ongoing pandemic. The documents of the Church issued prior to the pandemic address the topic of vaccines mainly within the context of moral questions associated with the use of biological material of illicit origin (i.e. abortion) in the production process. The documents that followed thoroughly examine the issue of vaccines from an ethical perspective and deal with a number of various questions (e.g. personal responsibility related to getting vaccinated or refusing to get vaccinated; international cooperation on financing research and distribution of vaccines; the accessibility of the vaccines to the poorest and developing countries; making profits on the sales of vaccines; ensuring clear and transparent criteria to determine vaccine eligibility). This allows for a clear point of reference for believers when making a decision on receiving the vaccine. Those responsible for making political, logistic, or organisational decisions related to vaccination programs at different levels are provided with clear criteria to help them evaluate their decisions from a moral perspective.