The Catholic bishops of Austria have said that “compulsory vaccination is a serious encroachment on the bodily integrity and freedom of the individual,” but have declined to oppose the government’s plan for mandatory vaccination.

The bishop said that compulsory vaccination is “only permissible if, taking into account proportionally, all other options have been exhausted to protect the population.” In their December 6 statement, they said that they “cannot give a detailed opinion on the concrete use of the law.”

The proposal would require all Austrian citizens to be vaccinated, with a fine of €600 ($675) every three months for those who are not.

In a December 2020 statement on Covid vaccines, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith said that “vaccination is not, as a rule, a moral obligation and that, therefore, it must be voluntary.”