"If You Refuse Vaccination, You May Be Fired"…Controversy Over Vatican Administrative Order

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[Asia Economy Reporter Onyu Lim] The Vatican City State, the spiritual capital for 1.3 billion Catholics worldwide, has sparked controversy by establishing a regulation that allows the dismissal of employees who refuse to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

According to Italy's ANSA news agency on the 18th (local time), the Vatican issued an administrative order on the 8th that permits disciplinary action against employees who refuse vaccination without any health-related reason. This is based on the rationale that refusing vaccination could pose harm to others.

Disciplinary measures can include dismissal under the 2011 "Law on the Rights and Duties of Employees." This regulation explicitly states that employees who refuse preventive health measures can be terminated. The administrative order was enacted with the signature of Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello (78, Italy), the Vatican's administrative head.

Approximately 5,000 employees work at the Vatican, the headquarters of the global Catholic Church, most of whom are known to commute from Rome, Italy.

The Vatican's firm stance on employees refusing vaccination became controversial after being revealed on social media on the 18th. Compared to most countries, including Italy, which leave vaccination decisions to individual discretion, the Vatican's approach is seen as excessively rigid.

Critics argue that this contradicts the "spirit of mercy" advocated by Pope Francis. Last December, the Pope, while delivering Christmas greetings to Vatican employees, emphasized amid the economic hardships caused by COVID-19 that "No one should be harmed. No one should lose their job."

As the controversy grew, the Vatican released an explanatory statement that night, clarifying that the regulation mentioning possible dismissal should not be perceived as punishment or disciplinary action and that individual freedom of choice must be respected. It further stressed that the administrative order, introduced in response to the current health crisis, balances the health of all employees with freedom of choice and is unlikely to infringe on employees' rights.

The Vatican, the world's smallest sovereign state, launched its COVID-19 vaccination campaign on the 13th of last month. The Pope received his first vaccine dose on the first day and completed his second dose on the 3rd of this month.

Before the Vatican vaccination campaign began, the Pope stated in an interview with Italian media earlier last month that "Vaccination concerns not only one's own health and life but also the lives of others," emphasizing that denying this is extremely dangerous.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.