The ACoC does not yet ban the unvaccinated from worship services, although all dioceses as far as I know do require vaccine passports from employees and volunteers and universally for non-worship events. Some are more flexible (Edmonton, for instance) than others.
Nevertheless, the dioceses of Toronto, New Westminster, British Columbia, Edmonton and Fredericton are all exerting pressure on their members to become vaccinated and even encourage those who are not to stay away with statements like this:
I strongly encourage all people who are eligible to receive the vaccine be vaccinated. If you have not been vaccinated you may want to consider worshipping online.
Notably absent in any statement from any Anglican leader – including ACNA/ANiC – is any concern over the fact that all currently available vaccines are dependent, to varying degrees, on organs harvested from aborted babies. I have explained my views on this here and here. I don’t expect the church to agree with me – almost no one does – but I do expect the church, particularly ACNA/ANiC which boasts that it is pro-life, to say something about it.
Correction: As a reader points out below, the US branch of Anglicans for Life has made a statement about abortion derived vaccines. You can read it here.
Naturally, everyone who attends a worship service has to wear a mask. You can even buy an Anglican mask:
It is cotton so it is next to useless at preventing the COVID-19 virus spreading, but at least it offers an instructive metaphor for Anglican Church of Canada clergy: completely ineffective, unfit for its alleged purpose and an empty symbol of posturing theatrical holiness. So the masks are not all bad
That’s my bishop you quoted there. It was off-putting to read that pastoral letter. Not really surprising, though; the guy’s a weenie.
No more mask requirement here, fortunately. Well, at least for now.
Here’s what is happening in Israel. Restricting civilian movement for those without a 3rd shot.
How many vaccinations are we going to be subjected to. We already are giving 3rd doses in long-term care homes.
https://www.facebook.com/radiantisrael/videos/622084642498681/
Nobody, including myself, likes restrictions. Please note that the numbers of active COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people in Israel on the following dates:
3.2 on June 19; 551.4 on August 14; 947.7 on September 10; 920.7 on September 17; 744.9 on September 24; and 515.7 on October 1.
It took me all of 20 seconds to find the following on the ACNA website, which is taken from the Anglicans for Life website:
https://anglicanchurch.net/ethics-in-a-pandemic-aborted-fetal-cells-and-the-covid-19-vaccine/
Thanks, I’ve made a correction to the article.
Two points: There is a big gap of serious theological thinking about vaccines and their social utility, which all sorts of other issues then occupy. Yes the Anglican Church should raise the matter of genetic material used in Covid vaccines, but not as if it’s the only concern here. An example of lazy theology was the bishop of Toronto’s recent pronouncement that loving one’s neighbour meant full vaccination- with reference to Galatians. End of story.
Second, coupled with lazy or non-existent thinking is the cumulative effect of policy and implementation. With barely two weeks notice, that vaccine policy was to begin- no mention of partly vaccinated volunteers in key service roles. No mention of rapid tests. No mention of low-contact or low risk roles.
Then there’s the policy of no choral singing, which for the Anglican Church of all places, is a sure way to meet 2040 predictions of zero-carbon usage because the place will be shut. Then there’s the policy of no rental groups singing in the building, regardless of vaccination status.
It’s the cumulative effect that is killing off churches quicker than covid could. And many churches are hardly at full capacity, packing them to the rafters.
Spare a thought for the clergy whose hands are tied – it’s the top decision makers who need to face both barrels. Soon.
The SARS epidemic in 2003 was deadly. But no cases of SARS-CoV-1 have been reported worldwide since 2004. Now, the world has been dealing with COVID-19 since December 2019. We are all very frustrated because no country can completely get rid of the coronavirus. Even New Zealand’s government acknowledged this reality yesterday.