Priests ask Bishop Cullinan to retract comments on HPV vaccine

Earlier this week, Bishop Alphonas Cullinan made comments regarding the safety of the human papillona virus (HPV) vaccine, claiming that it “could” encourage young girls to partake in more promiscuous behaviour because it “changes the mentality.”

“The vaccine gets people to think they are fully protected against cervical cancer when they are not,” he said.

Adding: “We have to do better than to give our boys condoms and our girls injections at the age of 12 years.”

The comments, made on WLR local radio on Thursday, sparked outrage among the public and medical professionals alike, with Minister for Health, Simon Coveny, even describing the claims as “ignorant” and “pathetic.”

Following the controversy, the Association of Catholic Priests has now asked the Bishop to withdraw his comments, calling them both ill-informed and dangerous.

In a statement, the association asked the country's bishops to disassociate themselves from Bishop Cullinan's comments and to instead support “the medical and scientific evidence that makes the vaccine a vital protection against cervical cancer.”