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Sep 28, 2021 - World

Vatican orders all employees to get vaccine or submit to testing

Shawna Chen
Photo of Pope Francis delivering the Angelus prayer from the window of the apostolic palace overlooking St. Peter's Square

Photo: Vincenzo Pinto/AFP via Getty Images

The Vatican City State said Tuesday that it will require all employees to provide proof of vaccination or documentation of a recent negative COVID test, the Washington Post reports.

Why it matters: Pope Francis, who was vaccinated in January, has campaigned for people to get the shots, calling it a moral duty. Some Catholics, however, have argued for exemptions on religious grounds.

  • Employees without proper documentation will be considered "unjustly absent" and receive no salary, per the Post.
  • The Vatican is not allowing exemptions at the moment, though the Secretariat of State and the city-state's health department will review the issue.
  • The new policy goes into effect on Oct. 1.

The big picture: Roughly 82% of Catholic adults in the U.S. say they were at least partially vaccinated as of August, according to Pew Research Center.

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