VATICAN CITY – Pope Benedict XVI says in a new book that condoms can be justified for male prostitutes seeking to stop the spread of HIV, a stunning comment for a church criticized for its opposition to condoms and for a pontiff who has blamed them for making the AIDS crisis worse.
The pope made 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," which is being released Tuesday. The Vatican newspaper ran excerpts on Saturday.
Church teaching has long opposed condoms because they are a form of artificial contraception, although it has never released an explicit policy about condoms and HIV. The Vatican has been harshly criticized for its opposition.
Benedict said that condoms are not a moral solution. But he said in some cases, such as for male prostitutes, they could be justified "in the intention of reducing the risk of infection."
Benedict called it "a first step in a movement toward a different way, a more human way of living sexuality."
One wonders how many male prostitutes waited with bated breath for guidance from the pope and how many will change their behavior because of the pope's stance.
What about Roman Catholic married couples with one spouse HIV-positive? Give them condoms (maybe!), but not yet? The "first step in a movement toward a different way, a more human way of living sexuality" is not for Roman Catholic married couples but for male prostitutes. Logic according to the Vatican. Meanwhile the Roman Catholics who are HIV-positive and who heed the Vatican's proscription against the use of condoms will continue to spread the infection to their spouses, who get sick and may die.
When I first began to read the the article, I burst out laughing at the sheer absurdity of the pope's statement, but I'm no longer laughing, because the consequences of the pope's stance on the use of condoms for married couples are so very tragic.
Thanks to Lapin for the link.
