A conservative former archbishop of St. Louis who has unfold unfounded theories about COVID-19 vaccines has been hospitalized with the illness and positioned on a ventilator, based on his official Twitter account.
Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke, 73, just lately examined constructive for the coronavirus, the account tweeted final week. On Saturday, one other put up mentioned he had been admitted to hospital.
It’s not identified if Burke, who lives in Rome however was reportedly in Wisconsin when he fell ailing, has been vaccinated.
The cardinal has expressed skepticism concerning the want for social distancing measures and spoke out towards obligatory vaccinations in Might 2020, according to the National Catholic Reporter. “It should be clear that vaccination itself can’t be imposed, in a totalitarian method, on residents,” he said at the time.
Burke has additionally referenced conspiracy theories about vaccines: one about microchips and another that claimed the vaccines have been created utilizing aborted fetal cells.
He has repeated false claims suggesting vaccines might inject microchips that enable recipients to “be managed by the State concerning well being and about different issues which we are able to solely think about” and in addition mentioned that “it’s by no means morally justified to develop a vaccine via using the cell traces of aborted fetuses.”
Burke, a staunch conservative, has publicly criticized Pope Francis on social points reminiscent of homosexuality and abortion.
After serving as archbishop of St. Louis from 2003 to 2008, Burke went on to the Vatican to turn into a member of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura. After plenty of high-profile clashes with Burke, Pope Francis demoted him in 2014.
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