Boston College Denies Catholic Students Religious Exemption To COVID-19 Vaccine Requirement

Boston Herald, Boston College Faces Fury Over Vaccine Exemptions Denied Over Abortion Link:

Boston College is facing a wave of Catholic parents and students “disgusted” by religious exemptions being denied over a link to aborted fetal tissue used to test the efficacy of coronavirus vaccines.

Some of those parents told the Herald Monday they are rallying together in a desperate attempt to change the Jesuit school’s stance before fall classes begin on August 30. ...

BC said in a statement that because Pope Francis told Catholics they have a moral obligation to take the vaccine, an exemption is not being granted to members of that faith. Other religious exemptions will be reviewed case-by-case.

“Boston College is requiring all students, faculty, and staff to receive a COVID-19 vaccine prior to the start of the fall semester,” college spokesman Ed Hayward said.

He added: “Exemptions are considered for legitimate medical and religious reasons. A religious exemption may be granted if vaccination goes against the fundamental tenets of a faith. Given that Pope Francis, Cardinal Sean (O’Malley), and millions of Catholics worldwide have been vaccinated, it is difficult for Catholics to make an argument against a COVID-19 vaccination.”

Stephanie Grimes, a registered nurse from New York, said her daughter’s request for an exemption was rejected — but Dartmouth College in New Hampshire allowed it for another child.

• Boston Globe, Some Parents of Boston College Students Are Outraged the School Mandates Vaccinations Against COVID, Despite Pope Francis’s Guidance
• Boston Herald, Debate Over Vaccine Mandates Reaches Fever Pitch in Massachusetts 
• Boston Herald op-ed (Howie Carr), Boston College Now ‘Woke U’ Over Vaccines
• The College Fix, Jesuit College Openly Defies the Vatican, Refuses to Let Catholics Decline COVID Vaccine
• WBUR, Some Boston College Students And Parents Angered By COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate