Malawi’s Catholic Bishops Say COVID-19 Vaccine “an act of love of our neighbor”

In their two-page message that lists those at the helm of Malawi’s eight episcopal sees, the Catholic Bishops say they acknowledge “fears and mixed feelings that some people might have towards COVID-19 vaccine especially on safety and effectiveness of the vaccine that the Government of Malawi has received.”

“We note such sentiments with care and wish to remind all people that the Church has always shared the government's concern for the health of people,” they say in their March 11 statement.

They add, “In protecting the health of people the Church will always advocate a means that is neither sanctioning or punitive in nature but which strikes a balance between protecting collective health and individual freedom of choice, without being oppressive to anyone.”

To encourage people to receive the vaccine, ECM members call on the Government through the relevant offices to “employ all necessary measures needed to uphold the genuineness, safety and effectiveness of the vaccine.”

“This should include massive intensive civic education sensitization because most of the fears and myths among the people especially in the rural areas have come about due to lack of correct information,” the Catholic Church leaders further say in their collective statement

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They urge the government to “make extra effort to acquire more vaccines so that many people should have the chance of receiving it than it is now.”

ECM members also call on the Government to “put in place necessary measures to address the different concerns that people might have concerning the vaccine while at the same time continuing to put in place all the necessary measures to combat the spread of COVID-19, the treatment of those infected and the protection of the population from further spread.”

They “commend the Government of Malawi for its efforts in ensuring that vulnerable Malawians have access to COVID-19 vaccines.”

“The Catholic Church in Malawi assures the Government of its continued support in fighting this pandemic,” ECM members say.

They appeal to all Malawians “to continue protecting themselves and others by properly wearing face masks, frequently washing hands with soap and keeping physical distance as per the guidance of COVID-19 prevention measures.”

“We, the Catholic Bishops pledge to continue praying for the health workers and all frontliners so that the infection trend and death toll continue to decrease until complete eradication,” the Church leaders say and continue, “We further invite all the faithful to continue praying for the same.”

“Holy Mary, Mother of God and Consoler of the Afflicted, Pray for us and our country, Malawi!” ECM members implore in their March 11 collective statement.

Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for Catholic Church communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Currently, Jude serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.