Pope Benedict says that condoms can be used to stop the spread of HIV

[sharkey360]

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Pope's surprise condom remarks fuel debate

Pope Benedict's statement on the use of condoms appears to be a relaxation of a hitherto uncompromising Vatican ban on the use of artificial contraception.

A crack has opened in the Church's ban on contraception because of the Aids epidemic, particularly in Africa.

Catholic moral theologians have been discussing for years the theory of what the Pope has now openly expressed in terms of accepting the lesser of two evils.

This means accepting the fact that condom use by prostitutes does lessen the risk of infection for both men and women.

There is some confusion about whether the Pope was referring to female or male prostitutes in his remarks - the word he used in the Italian version is ambiguous, but in English he talks about male prostitutes.
Unexpected

News of Pope Benedict's headline-grabbing remarks, first published in the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, on the acceptability of condom use in certain cases dropped at a completely unexpected moment at the Vatican on Saturday evening.

The Pope's remarks caught everyone by surprise.

Several thousand people were milling around reception rooms inside and outside the apostolic palace greeting 24 new cardinals to whom Pope Benedict had given their red hats earlier in the day.

It is an ancient tradition that the Pope throws open part of his palace inside the Vatican for two hours during the afternoon following a consistory to enable relatives and friends of the new princes of the Roman Catholic Church to exchange a few words with them as they stand proudly in their brand new red robes of office.
Continue reading the main story
“Start Quote

In my opinion someone on the other side of the Tiber has made a big error”

End Quote Andrea Torielli Italian blogger

The news was so unexpected that seasoned Vatican observers are asking themselves whether there has not been yet another gaffe by Pope Benedict's public relations advisers.

The words of the Pope were published in the form of selected extracts without any special fanfare in an expanded weekend edition of the Vatican newspaper.

Almost the entire newspaper was devoted to the consistory and to the gathering of old and new cardinals of the Church from around the world who had been summoned to Rome for a closed door meeting the previous day.

The brief papal reference to condoms was down column on the back page of the newspaper.
Accident or design?

The cardinals are still here in Rome. Many of them are reading the extensive Italian newspaper coverage of the Pope's remarks with some surprise.

It had been agreed with the publishers of the new book of intimate thoughts of Pope Benedict entitled The Light of the World: the Pope, The Church and Signs of The Times by the German Catholic journalist Peter Seewald, that the text would be released only at a book launch scheduled to be held at the Vatican Press Office on Tuesday.

Was the breaking of the embargo of the text on the very day when the headquarters of the Catholic Church was in festive mood in the middle of celebrating the consistory a deliberate act, or was it a mistake on the part of Vatican?

Andrea Torielli, a well-informed Italian blogger on the Vatican has no doubt that it was the latter.

"Yesterday," he writes, "was not an ordinary day at the Vatican. It was the day on which Benedict XVI celebrated his third consistory. He gave a beautiful, extraordinary homily, drawing attention once more to the fact that the ministry of the Church is one of service, not of power, and that authority is given in order that cardinals may serve, not as a prize, or to enable them to satisfy their ambitions... The Osservatore Romano is not a tabloid, nor a newspaper that seeks scoops. In my opinion someone on the other side of the Tiber has made a big error."

Among other interesting topics that Pope Benedict touches on in the extracts of his long interview with Peter Seewald, are papal infallibility - he says he cannot continue to produce "infallible statements"; his attitude towards resignation - he would resign if he felt he lacked the physical and psychological strength to continue in office; and his "enormous shock" at the extent of the paedophile priest crisis which has shaken the Church in recent years.

He also makes potentially controversial remarks about the right of Islamic women to wear the burka - "if they want to, I don't see why they should be prevented from doing so".

But it is the Pope's completely unprecedented remarks on condoms and prostitutes that have set tongues wagging not only inside the Vatican, but all over the world.

BBC News - Pope's surprise condom remarks fuel debate

[lifebook11]

I hope that those bishops/priests in the CBCP gets a MEMO, or receives a letter from the Pope about this so they can stop being closed minded

[peewee_toot]

uyon kaayu ko sa gi ingon sa pope!

[Xilcher]

stupid religious people who thinks contraceptive is a blasphemy to their belief . . . science is tested and proven to minimize population

I wont question your belief..if you act like an atheist.. or non-believer
But nobody said about blasphemy... its morality..
and actually science is a proof of belief in supreme being..
"energy cannot be created or destroyed " w/c means. it has its origin..
a powerful energy called God.

anyway... back to topic..

"The pope is saying that if you can prevent disease, the use of condoms could be permissible,"

I agree with the pope.. any forms of contraceptive should be allowed but
there are exceptions....
- only should be used to prevent disease..(use of condoms as a way of combating HIV)
- for prostitutes and married couples...


The pope concerns are for virus protection and not contraception or methods of killing babies...
He wanted to prevent viruses before it spread..and kill lives..

Maybe its time to define..what forms of contraceptions are Pro-life and anti-life..
I agree with condoms..but still not on "morning after pills".

.

[Crimson_Viper]

no comment

christians

>.>

[Douchebag]

Thumbs up!

Now, they're learning.

[AmorsoloX]

"The pope is saying that if you can prevent disease, the use of condoms could be permissible,"

I agree with the pope.. any forms of contraceptive should be allowed but
there are exceptions....
- only should be used to prevent disease..(use of condoms as a way of combating HIV)
- for prostitutes and married couples...


.

so prostitution is ok as long as they use condom?

[[Avenging PIRANHA]]

dili na makapalag ang ubang taga simbahan ani kay mismo si pope na ang nagingon nga ang condom maoy one way para mapungan ang HIV agree ayo ko ani sakto man pod si pope

[pepau]

so prostitution is ok as long as they use condom?

mura jud ug gidawat sad nga pwede sad ang prostitution...

[sharkey360]

Believers find mixed blessings in Pope's comments

Some Catholic believers in the Americas greeted Pope Benedict XVI's comments on condoms as a sign that the church was stepping into the modern debate in the fight against AIDS, though the church was adamant Sunday that nothing has changed in its views banning contraception.

Churchgoers had praise and wariness for the pope's comments that condoms could be morally justified in some limited situations, such as for male prostitutes wanting to prevent the spread of HIV.

Others cautioned it could open a doctrinal Pandora's box. And the exact meaning of what the pope said was still up for interpretation.

"That's a theological mind trap," said Wendy Lasekan, a 47-year-old stay-at-home mom, after Sunday morning Mass at Saint Michael Catholic Church in Worthington, Ohio, a suburb of Columbus.

"In some cases, it would be justifiable — or acceptable — to use a condom," she said. "If your goal would be to prevent the spread of AIDS, that would be a charitable act."

Ellen Reik, a 79-year-old retired housewife who attended Saint Michael, said if taken out of context, the pope's remarks could renew the debate over the morality of birth control — both as a contraceptive and a means to curb the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.

Several more believers who spoke to The Associated Press following Sunday services in the United States and South America felt the pope's comments marked a tentative step into a more modern stance in the global fight against AIDS.

Jean Jasman, an 81-year-old state worker from Montpelier, Vt., called the stance a departure from church doctrine on condom use, "but it's to the betterment of humanity, if we can help prevent the spread of this horrendous disease."

Lois Breaux rolled her eyes when asked about the Pope's statements as she was leaving Mass at St. Kieran Church in the Coconut Grove neighborhood of Miami.

"About time — and it wasn't enough," she said. "As a Catholic, they need to recognize this is an epidemic. The church needs to stand up and say what he did, but he should have gone further."

Vatican officials strongly emphasized Sunday that the church's position on contraception has not changed.

The pope spoke in an interview given to a German journalist. Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano on Saturday published excerpts from the book, "Light of the World," three days ahead of publication. In the interview, Benedict says that in certain cases, such as for a male prostitute, condom use could be a first step in assuming moral responsibility for stemming the spread of the virus that causes AIDS.

The Holy See's chief spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, stressed that Benedict was not "morally justifying" the unbridled exercise of sexuality and the church's main advice in the fight against AIDS remains the same: promoting sexual abstinence and fidelity among married couples.

The pope's comments caught some followers off-guard with the frank discussion of a taboo topic.

"I was shocked. I thought, 'Why even mention that?' It was unnecessary," said Joan Caron, 86, of Oldtown, Maine, who attended Mass at the Basilica of the Assumption in Baltimore, the nation's oldest Roman Catholic cathedral. "I was just shocked that he'd even bring the word up."

In Brazil, home to more Roman Catholics than any other country, 71-year-old Idalina Fernandes said she thought it was strange when she first heard the news.

"The pope and the church had been criticized for being too strict regarding this subject, but I guess we can't close our eyes to the problems we have today in the world," said Fernandes, who helps organize Masses at a small church in Sao Paolo. "I never thought the pope would say something like that, but the world is different today, the Church seems to know that."

The fine distinctions in the pope's comments were clear to Cliff Krieger, 68, of Lowell, Mass., who said it was good that the discussion on preventing disease was taking place, though he generally approves of the church's position on contraception.

"I think that the church is saying that use of condoms is missing the point about what *** is about," he said. "There are a lot of people who are ... just using it for pleasure for themselves, as they might be using cocaine on the weekend. So I think the church's stand is generally a pretty good one."

Speaking shortly before Mass began at St. Mary of the Lake Roman Catholic Church in Lakewood, N.J., 42-year-old Jason Randall said he strongly supports the church's position that forbids the use of condoms and other contraceptives.

But he felt the pope's comments show that sometimes exceptions are needed for almost every rule.

"I know it's a cliche to put it this way, but if it helps prevent even one death or one person getting sick, it's worth it," Randall said. "I believe in a loving God, one who does not want people to suffer, whether they be saints or sinners."

"I think that the church needs to realize that sometimes you have to make adjustments with the times and that saving people's lives and protecting life is ultimately the most important thing," said Josephine Zohny of Brooklyn, N.Y., after leaving Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York.

Believers find mixed blessings in Pope's comments - Yahoo! News