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The Catholic Archbishop of Wellington, Cardinal John Atcherley Dew, gets vaccinated against Covid-19. Photo: Johnny Blades / RNZ Pacific
Report from RNZ
A dozen senior Catholics from around the Wellington region received their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine this morning, with the government wanting religious heads to play an important role in spreading awareness and curb any fears.
Catholic Leadership Institute chief executive Areti Metuamate said Catholic Church leaders were concerned about the misleading information being spread by some high-profile people.
It was especially problematic on social media, Dr Metuamate said. “Some of the stuff that I’ve seen is just borderline nuts. There’s someone who’s been suggesting that if you roll your sleeves up [for a vaccine], you’re rolling your sleeves up for Satan. There’s also others saying conspiracies around Bill Gates and [how he is] trying to get everybody microchipped.”
Senior Catholics from the Wellington region received their first dose of the vaccine today, with the government encouraging religious heads to play a role in spreading awareness.