“Jesus Christ calls us to love our neighbour as ourselves. Getting the vaccine is part of that commandment: we can show our love for each other by keeping each other safe from this terrible disease. To everyone in this country and around the world, I want to say please, please accept the invitation to get the jab when it comes – and encourage everyone around you to do the same.” The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby.
This morning, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby tweeted that he had received his first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine over the weekend.
The Archbishop received the vaccine as a member of the chaplaincy team at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital in London.
In a statement released with the news, Archbishop Justin encouraged others to be vaccinated when able to do so. “I want to encourage everyone to get the Covid-19 vaccine when they are invited”, he said. “Staff across the NHS, and health workers across the world, are under immense pressure on the front lines of this pandemic. They deserve not just our admiration but our support – and getting the vaccine when we have the opportunity is something we can all do to help relieve the burden on them”.
He continued, “It has been a privilege to volunteer at St Thomas’ over the past year. Chaplains here and across the country are doing a vital job of providing spiritual and pastoral care to patients, staff and relatives at this acutely painful and difficult time.
“The rapid development of the vaccine is an answer to prayer – and it is central to the recovery from this terrible pandemic. Jesus Christ calls us to love our neighbour as ourselves. Getting the vaccine is part of that commandment: we can show our love for each other by keeping each other safe from this terrible disease. To everyone in this country and around the world, I want to say please, please accept the invitation to get the jab when it comes – and encourage everyone around you to do the same.”
Please see our recent in-depth piece on Covid-19 at the beginning of 2021, which particularly focuses on the vaccine.
