Letter to the editor: Heed words of religious leaders on vaccines

To those who cite religious objections to vaccination for covid, I suggest that they consider the words of two well-known religious leaders, Martin Luther and Pope Francis.

“It is even more shameful for a person to pay no heed to his own body and to fail to protect it gainst the plague the best he is able, and then to infect and poison others who might have remained alive if he had taken care of his body as he should have. He is thus responsible before God for his neighbor’s death and is a murderer many times over.” (Martin Luther’s Works, Vol. 43)

In a video message produced in conjunction with the Ad Council, Pope Francis praised the work of researchers and scientists in producing safe and effective covid-19 vaccines: “Thanks to God’s grace and to the work of many, we now have vaccines to protect us from covid-19.”

He added that vaccines “bring hope to end the pandemic, but only if they are available to all and if we collaborate with one another.”

Charles Henry

Greensburg