Father Michael Haney is once again making outlandish pronouncements in his parish bulletin. This week’s (February 28, 2021 Cross in the Woods Shrine, Indian River , Michigan) bulletin discusses his desire to require vaccination for parishioners prior to being allowed in at Mass. Here is what he wrote (you may also access the bulletin at https://discovermass.com/church/cross-in-the-woods-indian-river-mi/ ):
“Writing an editorial in the current America magazine, Dr.
Charles E. Binkley and David S. Kemp suggest that the
Church should mandate vaccines for people coming back to
Mass. Since I support their position, let me summarize
some of their points in this column. Many Catholics have
not been able to attend Mass in-person because of the risk
of COVID infection. The obvious way for the faithful to be
able to resume full participation is to mandate that
churchgoers receive a COVID vaccine.
Churches have an ethical obligation to protect the health of
clergy, staff and worshipers, and one of the highest-risk
settings for contracting COVID is a large closed space
containing many people. Many religious rites include
actions, like holy water and touch and singing, that
increase risk of infection. It is morally irresponsible for
churches to invite people to worship and receive the
sacraments without taking all effective steps to minimize
this risk. The reality that many Catholics have not yet
returned to in-person worship witnesses to the perception
of the inadequacy of our current sanitizing and social distancing efforts.
The elderly, those with disabilities, pregnant women and
their unborn children, and those with medical conditions
should be able to participate fully in the life of the church
without having to risk their health in the process. Requiring
the vaccine would allow everyone to participate equally in
worship and sacraments.
What is more, the central Christian requirement of loving
one’s neighbor supports the moral basis for churches
requiring COVID vaccines. Churchgoers have a moral
responsibility to protect one another from harm. Receiving
the vaccine is an act of love and charity toward one’s
neighbor.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, church officials have
tried to keep churches open for in-person services. These
attempts have been motivated by a deep passion for the
faithful to have access to the grace of the Mass and the
sacraments. Mandating that churchgoers receive the
COVID vaccine is the most reasonable way to
simultaneously realize respect for the sanctity of human
life, express love of neighbor, promote the common good
and safely allow the grace of God to flow to God’s people
through the sacraments.
Perhaps reluctantly, we have nonetheless complied with
requirements to wear a facemask to shop at Wal-Mart or
to eat at a restaurant. Are not similar precautions
appropriate in church? What do YOU think? Fr. Mike “
Perhaps Father Haney is limited in his abilities to access other sources of information than the Catholic-In-Name-Only America magazine, or perhaps Fr. Haney is just so scared of the virus, but in any event, he is completely off the rails in addressing the COVID-19 epidemic. We hope that this might give our readers some useful information. Gaylord Diocesan Watch would like to correct just some of the misconceptions put forth by Fr. Haney:
In not demanding vaccination of parishioners, Fr. Haney states that “It is morally irresponsible for churches to invite people to worship and receive the sacraments without taking all effective steps to minimize
this risk.” The only way to prevent any risk of infection when going to Church is not to go. The currently available vaccines have not been shown to have ANY long-term safety or effectiveness in preventing COVID-19. Furthermore, there have been over 1,000 deaths thus far related to COVID-19 vaccines reported in the United States alone (Sources: https://vaers.hhs.gov/reportevent.htmlhttps://www.medalerts.org/vaersdb/findfield.php?TABLE=ON&GROUP1=CAT&EVENTS=ON&VAX=COVID19). How about the aborted babies used in development of these vaccines?
“The reality that many Catholics have not yet
returned to in-person worship witnesses to the perception
of the inadequacy of our current sanitizing and social distancing efforts.” Wrong. Many have not returned to Church due to irrational fear, the continued dispensation of the obligation to attend Sunday Mass, or simply a loss of faith. With regard to social distancing, it is a new public health phenomenon that has no scientific basis and not a shred of scientific evidence that it works. Researchers have shown that the Coronavirus can travel not 6 feet but 27.6 feet! Where is the evidence that sanitizing works? It’s not possible to sanitize the air, the floors, the walls, etc., of every inch of Church buildings. Nor do we need to. People who get COVID-19 have an overall 99.9% survival rate! Also, recent research has shown that people have a 99.3% of NOT getting COVID-19 from another asymptomatic individual regardless of vaccine status. (Source: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2774102)
As mentioned earlier, the overall survival rate of Coronavirus infection is over 99.9%. Even in the highest risk group of people, i.e., those over 75 years of age, the survival rate is 94.65%. Why the rush toward vaccination? The currently available experimental vaccines use technology that has not been tested in ANY long-term animal studies prior to their emergency use authorization by the FDA. In fact, the Moderna vaccine received approval without any animal studies. Who are the guinea pigs for this vaccine? – not any guinea pigs.
The Coronavirus is not so much a pandemic but a plandemic, i.e., a vast plan to scare, control, and subdue vast populations in the name of health. Misinformation abounds, and the dioceses in the United States have gone all out (unintentionally or intentionally) to participate in this big lie. The lie is not the virus; it exists and can kill. The lie is in the response of those in authority to the supposed threat of a virus which is turning out to be no more dangerous than the flu.
Where has Fr. Haney’s concerns been with the flu virus which is the same size as the Coronavirus?
This story has been covered in other sites: https://www.complicitclergy.com/2021/02/25/no-jab-no-jesus/
Fr. Haney invites bulletin readers to share their thoughts with him:
Cross In The Woods National Shrine
7078 M-68
Indian River, Michigan 49749
Parish/Shrine Offices: 231-238-8973
Parish/Shrine Fax: 231-238-7012
Email: NationalShrine@crossinthewoods.com