Christians should be allowed to follow their conscience and opt out of vaccine mandates, especially in cases where aborted fetal tissue may have been part of the cell line used to develop the vaccine, key Vatican Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Mueller tells Newsmax.
Mueller, originally of Germany, is currently in the United States, and answered questions on a variety of topics on "American Agenda" on Tuesday.
Pope Francis has said it is permissible for Catholics to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, in fact urging people to get vaccinated as an "act of love."
Mueller admitted he is no expert on fetal cell lines, but said "everybody must be allowed to act according to his conscience," especially in the United States, whose founding documents declare that the state serves and is not there to be served.
There is a "big difference" he said between the U.S. and China and "other dictatorial regimes."
On the subject of denying communion to Catholic politician who support abortion, such as President Joe Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Mueller noted that taking of human life defies the commandment of God.
"It's not possible," Mueller said, adding , that it "is against the commandments of God, is against life, and Pope Francis said several times .. that abortion is homicide and therefore is a great sin."
One cannot contradict this teaching, he said, and at the "same time receive his body and his blood."
Mueller also condemned the idea of church leaders in Germany who are pushing for a sanctioning of same-sex unions.
While the church has "high respect" for all people, including those with same-sex attraction, sanctioning such unions are not possible under the doctrines of the faith, he said.
"The benediction is only possible for men and women living in matrimony," Mueller said.
The church, he said, should be focused on evangelism rather than divisive issues that will only further drive people from embracing the faith.
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