As more and more people get vaccinated, the controversial topic of vaccine mandates comes to the forefront of businesses. Many employers are deciding how they want to set their Covid-19 safety regulations in place for their employees. Recently, the Vatican City State stated that it will be mandatory for all employees to show documentation of vaccination or proof of a recent negative COVID test to maintain their active employment status.

This mandate is crucial since Pope Francis received the vaccine in January and has been advocating ever since for everyone to get immunized. The famous Catholic leader even publicly called it a “moral duty.” The Catholic church even stated their approval of using cell lines from aborted fetuses in their research. Since he is a leader and influence on many, Pope Francis’ pro-vaccine campaigning has a substantial impact. Despite the encouragement from world leaders, some are still hesitant and would like to petition not to receive the vaccine on religious grounds.

Currently, at the Vatican, employees that don’t have the required vaccination or testing documentation will have their salaries withheld and be marked as “unjustly absent.” These employees include high-ranking officials in the church. These firm safety mandates started on Oct. 1.

Although some have tried exempting on religious grounds, the Vatican is not currently accepting exemptions. However, the Secretariat of State and the city-state’s health department may evaluate requests on a case-by-case basis. Not many Vatican employees will suffer the consequences of this new rule, but the recent requirement sends a more important message to the rest of the world. Over the years, many have been granted vaccine exemption on religious grounds. However, this pro-vaccine mandate from one of the most renowned religious sites just displayed that those grounds may not be the case for the Covid-19 vaccine.

Regardless of the controversy, a majority of Catholics are in favor of the Covid-19 vaccine. The Pew Research center reported that around 80% of Catholic individuals in the US had received at least one dose of the vaccine as of August.

Although the Bible doesn’t specifically mention vaccines, we are to embrace the same qualities as Jesus regarding our approach to the devastating pandemic. Jesus would say to be compassionate and considerate of others in our response to Covid-19. In the Bible, we see that Jesus had compassion and healed many people who had faith in Him. As Christians, we are to be encouraging, loving, and obedient to God’s commandments. Pray for wisdom and guidance from the Lord. In these unprecedented times, we need to hear the voice of God now more than ever.