VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI says in a new book that the use of condoms can be justified in some cases, such as for male prostitutes seeking to prevent the spread of HIV.Read the rest here.
The pontiff makes the comments in a book-length interview with a German journalist, "Light of the World: The Pope, the Church and the Signs of the Times." The Vatican newspaper ran excerpts of the book Saturday.
Benedict said that for male prostitutes — for whom contraception isn't a central issue — condoms are not a moral solution. But he said they could be justified "in the intention of reducing the risk of infection."
Roman Catholic Church teaching has long opposed condoms since they are a form of artificial contraception. The Vatican has been harshly criticized for its position given the AIDS crisis.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
In a major reversal Pope Benedict XVI approves prophylactics in some cases
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2 comments:
I would think that the super majority of condom use does not have as its primary aim contraception.
The Pope's not saying anything new, and I'm amazed, though I shouldn't be, at the media's poor reporting of it.
The Roman Catholic church's position on sexuality is well known - briefly, sex is meant only for married people in a manner open to conception.
Outside of this, whether the parties use condoms or not does not really matter. If you're going to rob, whether you use a gun or a knife doesn't matter.
Benedict in his interview only said the equivalent of 'if you're going to rob, it is better to do it without physically hurting someone'.
Nothing new in this.
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