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Concerns about abortion-related products are prompting some Catholic bishops to warn about a coronavirus vaccine. AP's Walter Ratliff reports. Church leaders in New Orleans and St. Louis are advising Catholics that the COVID-19 vaccine from Johnson & Johnson is "morally compromised" because it's produced using cell lines developed from aborted fetuses. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' committees on doctrine and abortion issues also issued a statement reiterating the concerns. Johnson & Johnson said in a statement that no fetal tissue is used in the vaccine but did not dispute claims that the vaccine was developed using an abortion-derived cell line. Archdiocese statements in each city say Catholics should instead choose coronavirus vaccines made by Moderna or Pfizer if they are available. I'm Walter Ratliff.
A majority of Japanese people are opposed to holding the Tokyo Olympic Games this year due to concerns over the global health crisis. As Reuters Brian Wood reports, that's according to a Yomiuri daily poll released on Wednesday. While 70 percent of those surveyed said they were at least "somewhat interested" in the Summer Games, Yomiuri found that 58 percent were against holding the event this year.If the Games were to go on, over 90 percent said the crowd should be kept to a minimum or not allowed at all. The poll was conducted between mid-January through February, when much of the country remained under a state of emergency. A Reuters poll last month showed nearly two-thirds of Japanese companies also oppose holding the Games this year, a shift from the last survey which showed most in favor. As for now, Greater Tokyo remains in a state of emergency, with restrictions on gathering, business hours and foreign travel into the country. That's Reuters Brian Wood.
Pope Francis is pushing ahead with the first papal trip to Iraq, hoping to encourage the country's dwindling number of Christians who were violently persecuted during the Islamic State's insurgency while also seeking to boost ties with the Shiite Muslim world. Reporting by remote, I'm David Byrd, VOA news.
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