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By Dr. Jeff Mirus, Catholic Culture, Aug 26, 2021

Jeffrey Mirus holds a Ph.D. in intellectual history from Princeton University. A co-founder of Christendom College, he also pioneered Catholic Internet services. He is the founder of Trinity Communications and CatholicCulture.org.

 

There is a good deal of concern about “conscience rights” among the staff of CatholicCulture.org, and it has surfaced in the controversy surrounding the COVID vaccines. For example, Phil Lawler wrote on August 25th to ask that the same respect be shown by the Church for the consciences of those who do not choose to be vaccinated as for those who do. And on August 20th Thomas V. Mirus issued a brief podcast apology for remarks he had made in an earlier episode, which could have been interpreted as denigrating the conscientious judgment of those who chose to be vaccinated.

“Conscience” is vital, but it can also be a snare to the unwary. So let me take my own crack at the problem, in two parts. This first part deals with the dangers and difficulties posed by conscience in general. The second part—Following your conscience? The COVID problem—specifically addresses vaccination for COVID.

Why is merely following our conscience insufficient? …

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