Quebec health minister responds to Catholic bishops’ call to avoid certain coronavirus vaccines

"I vigorously denounce this declaration of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops," Dubé wrote. "I invite all Quebecers to trust our experts and those from around the world: all the vaccines we administer are effective."

The CCCB released a statement recently calling on their followers to avoid the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccines, and should instead seek out the vaccines produced by Pfizer BioNTech and Moderna.

The Pfizer BioNTech and Moderna vaccines "can be morally acceptable for Catholics to receive since the connection to abortion is extremely remote," the bishops said. "In contrast to these vaccines, the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines utilized abortion-derived cell lines in their development, production, and confirmatory testing."

The bishops said that the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson "can be used in good conscience" if no other option is available.

The statement, published on their website, cites recommendations from the Vatican.

According to the CCCB, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson used aborted fetal tissue in developing their vaccines, which contradicts the bishops' opposition to abortion. The use of aborted fetal tissue in medical developments has long been controversial for religious Christians, who oppose abortion on moral grounds.

The announcement comes as provincial governments across Canada begin rolling out the AstraZeneca vaccine.