The Vatican City State said that it would soon begin requiring all employees to show proof of vaccination or of a recent negative coronavirus test. Those without the proper certificates, the Vatican said, will be considered “unjustly absent”—and will be paid no salary, The Washington Post reported.

Though the measures apply to a relatively small number of people, the firm stance also amounts to a symbolic message for Catholics across the world, some of whom have debated the question of vaccination exemptions on religious grounds.

In this case, the Vatican is not yet providing any exemptions, though it said the issue would be assessed by the Secretariat of State, with input from the city-state’s health department. The new rules go into force Friday.

Pope Francis, who was vaccinated this year, has made it clear that he thinks that vaccination is a moral duty. And the Vatican has said it is acceptable for Catholics to use vaccines, including those that use cell lines from aborted fetuses in their research.