Q&A with Rev. Paul Abernathy, an Orthodox priest combatting vaccine skepticism

Rev. Paul Abernathy.

Antiochian Orthodox priest Rev. Paul Abernathy is on a mission to provide resources to skeptics in his Pittsburgh, Pa. parish and community—skeptics of the COVID-19 vaccine.

For months, Abernathy has visited majority Black communities door to door, discussing their views on the COVID-19 vaccine, answering questions and even ushering in a Moderna vaccine trial in collaboration with the University of Pittsburgh to ensure their research was racially diverse and increase confidence in the vaccine.

Abernathy is the CEO of the Neighborhood Resilience Project that is leading the vaccine acceptance effort. He’s also a combat veteran of the Iraq War and a priest of St. Moses Orthodox Christian mission in the Hill District.

Religion Unplugged spoke with him about his work, the role of faith-based organizations in the pandemic and how a spiritual life fuels a medical mission.

1) Could you tell us more about Neighborhood Resilience Project (NRP)?

Rooted in the Gospel and the teachings of the Orthodox Church, inspired by the Civil Rights Movement (American 1950s and 1960s), the mission of the Neighborhood Resilience Project is to support the transformation of neighborhoods from Trauma Affected Communities to Resilient, Healing and Healthy Communities through Trauma Informed Community Development.

2) In recent months, you are going door-to-door in Pittsburgh in the majority Black communities, informing them about COVID-19 vaccines and helping to increase vaccine acceptance.  Could you, please, tell us more about the mission? 

When the pandemic began, we became acutely aware of the lack of resources and planning to address COVID-19 across the country.  In this context, we became extremely concerned that predominantly Black communities would be left behind in the wake of this crisis.  We do extensive work around gun violence, taking a Public Health approach, which gave us some familiarity with epidemiological community-based protocols.  From this, the concept of Community Health Deputies was formed.  We partnered with the University of Pittsburgh to help build out this initiative, and in March, we began training people in predominantly Black Medically Underserved Areas as Community Health Deputies (CHDs).  These CHDs had three primary objectives: 1) Combat the spread of COVID-19, 2) Support basic needs (i.e. food and medicine), and 3) Support community mental health.

By the summer, Pittsburgh was selected to be a trial site for Phase III of the Moderna vaccine trials.  Understanding the importance of the Community Health Deputies, researchers from the University of Pittsburgh charged with conducting the vaccine research invited us to join a “Vaccine Collaborative” in which community members and researchers would come together to ensure that the vaccine research would be [racially] diverse and inclusive as well as to help build vaccine confidence in minority communities.  With this, CHDs began to invite people in their communities to participate in the vaccine trials.  This work, in addition to the continued effort to implement epidemiological community-based protocols, continues to this day.

3) What role do the faith-based organizations, like NRP, play in this difficult pandemic times and fight against COVID-19?

Faith-based organizations play a significant role in the fight against COVID-19, as well as the many issues that have resulted from the pandemic.  Certainly, in terms of health, faith-based organizations must play a leading role in the effort to save as many lives as possible.  This is primarily because these organizations above all others understand and uphold the dignity of life.  Moreover, to do such work requires risk and sacrifice.  This means that those inspired by faith to take action in this time of crisis will do so without being slaves to fear.  Other-worldly courage can often be found in such an organization, and it is precisely such courage that dealing with this crisis requires.

4) As Antiochian Orthodox priest, what can you tell us about faith dimensions on this mission?

In the early Church, Christians were always the first to minister to the sick in times of plague.  Today is no different.  It is very clear from the teachings of the Gospel that believers do everything in their power to engage our communities in times of crisis.  We may reference St. Basil the Great and his work to establish the first hospital as we know it.  It is very important to understand that in the example of St. Basil, who was not simply a hospital administrator of sorts, but also a pious monk and gifted theologian who spent his days immersed in the life of the Church.  In fact, his medical ministry flowed out from his spiritual life.  In like manner, our medical mission in the height of a pandemic must also flow from our spiritual life.

5) In your experience, what are the main reasons for mistrust in COVID-19 vaccines?

Based on my anecdotal experience, mistrust in COVID-19 vaccines in the African American community are rooted in three overarching cultural attitudes.  First, a history of clinical abuse. Many in the Black community will reference the Tuskegee experiments in which African Americans were unknowingly involved in a Syphilis study in which hundreds of Black men were unknowingly denied treatment for their disease.  This study, originally expected to last six months, went on for 40 years.  Although this is not the only historical abuse, the Tuskegee experiments have come to symbolize the multi-generational experience African Americans have of clinical abuse.  This history heavily and negatively impacts the perspective many have on the COVID-19 vaccine, which is also largely viewed as an experiment. 

The second reason that I would say there is mistrust of the COVID-19 vaccine in the African American community is because of mistrust of the government.  Government systems have failed African Americans in significant ways.  One can reference the fact that African Americans are disproportionately incarcerated, the overwhelming amount of failing schools in the Black community, the experience of family separation at the hands of government agencies, or numerous other negative experiences people have had with the government.  This has been further exacerbated by the Trump administration which is widely viewed as legitimately being a White supremacist regime. For this reason, when people reflect on the government’s involvement in vaccine development and distribution, government failure and betrayal is the historical context in which many examine this vaccine.  This can mean that people don’t trust the very vaccine that the government plays a role in.

The third reason I would say there is mistrust of the COVID-19 vaccine in the African American community is mistrust of corporations.  Among a population that is disproportionately economically disadvantaged, there is a sense among some that the vaccine is a way for the rich to get richer.  With this in mind, there is some belief that the vaccine is being distributed, not to save lives, but so that those that developed the vaccine can make money.  This leads some to reject the vaccine vowing not to sacrifice their lives to make the rich richer.

6) Can the Gospel’s words build trust in COVID-19 vaccines?

When reflecting on the Lord’s earthly ministry it is abundantly clear that He came to heal us from all our diseases (Psalm 103:3).  Moreover, scripture teaches us to honor doctors and receive medicine at their hands as a blessing from God. As is states in the Wisdom of Sirach:

Honor physicians for their services,

    for the Lord created them;

2 for their gift of healing comes from the Most High,

    and they are rewarded by the king.

3 The skill of physicians makes them distinguished,

    and in the presence of the great they are admired.

4 The Lord created medicines out of the earth,

    and the sensible will not despise them.

5 Was not water made sweet with a tree

    in order that its power might be known?

6 And he gave skill to human beings

    that he might be glorified in his marvelous works.

7 By them the physician heals and takes away pain;

8     the pharmacist makes a mixture from them.

God’s works will never be finished;

    and from him health spreads over all the earth. (Sirach 38:1-8)

 The achievement of the medical community in developing a vaccine to COVID-19 is truly remarkable.  Never before have human beings witnessed such a rapid response to a terrible disease in an unprecedented effort to save lives. I see it as a gift from God, and as such I believe it is important to give thanks for the vaccine and bless the servants from which it came.

7) Are the voices of religious leaders in today’s world important to increase COVID-19 vaccine acceptance?

I believe that the voices of today’s religious leaders are extremely important regarding vaccine acceptance.  It is important in terms of the moral authority that religious leaders have.  With this, I believe religious leaders have a great burden of responsibility in times of crisis in which the must offer guidance, leadership and example of how to negotiate the complexities of the crisis.  With this, religious leaders are extremely relevant, not only to their respective faith communities but also to their communities and nations at large.

8) Does the federal government recognize the impact and potential of faith-based organizations?

Although I believe there are some government officials who recognize the impact and potential of faith-based organizations, there has been no concerted effort to engage or involve those organizations in addressing the crisis.  To my knowledge, the tremendous work that faith-based organizations have been doing throughout this crisis has been done without government collaboration.  This may be because the crisis was so poorly managed in the first place; faith-based organizations being an afterthought in an already disorganized government response.

Mladen Aleksic is a freelance journalist who covers the Orthodox Church as well as a theologian and elementary school teacher in Serbia. He writes for various Serbian media outlets as well as Balkan Insight, Global Comment and Christianity Today. Follow him on Twitter @MladenAleksic85.