Many right-wing Catholics support anti-vaxxers

This week’s Mediahuis Irish regional newspapers’ column

Michael Commane

We have been bombarded with Covid-19 information for 20 months. We have seen the damage the pandemic has caused. 

Once the vaccination arrived many of us believed that the worst was over. And now we see what is happening right in front of our eyes. It is frightening.

When I heard Leo Varadkar on a CNN interview say that 94 per cent of our population is vaccinated and that 52 per cent of people in hospitals and ICUs are unvaccinated it dawned on me in stark terms what that actually meant. 

I found myself getting quite angry at all the spiel I have been hearing from the anti-vaxxers. And indeed it’s important to note that the majority of the 48 per cent of Covid patients in hospitals, who are vaccinated have underlying medical issues.

There are many ultra right-wing groups who are opposed to the vaccination and the wearing of masks.

There seems to be a link between anti-vaxxers and right-wing Christian groups. I don’t know what the common thread is but I have recognised a nexus.

In the ‘Sunday Independent’ of November 21 journalist Rodney Edwards wrote a column on how anti-vaxxers are hitching a ride on religious radio shows. 

He also cited how the executive director of Catholic missionary organisation Net Ministries Ireland, Tony Foy was hesitant to get vaccinated. He ended up in hospital in Donegal with Covid. And it so happens that when he was in hospital only a quarter of the 47 missionaries were vaccinated.

Some months back ‘The Irish Catholic’ carried a photograph of a priest giving Holy Communion on the tongue to someone while Covid was raging. It was most inappropriate and it is also worrying why ‘The Irish Catholic’ printed the photograph.

In recent days I have seen a meme where a man goes on with a long diatribe criticising medical experts and governments for the actions they are taking to fight Covid-19.

The meme suggests the behaviour of medics and governments is similar to those tactics used by the Nazis.

The meme was forwarded by a group of so-called ‘pious Catholics’. I found it objectionable and indeed worrying. It’s difficult to understand how a Christian could propagate such opinion.

And then there is Bishop Joseph Strickland of Tyler in Texas in the US, who has written on his twitter account: ‘I have spoken out against these mandates and will continue to do so. To encourage these vaccinations is a personal choice but to force them violates basic human rights and moral standards.’

In a letter to his diocese, he wrote: ‘I urge you to reject any vaccine that uses the remains of aborted children. The fact remains that any vaccine available today involves using murdered children before they could even be born. I renew my pledge — I will not extend my life by using murdered children. This is evil wake up.’

For many years now I have been greatly concerned about the influence a right-wing Trump-like US Catholic Church is having on our church in Ireland.

Covid gives us just a clue of what is happening in the Irish Catholic Church.