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The Pope made his remarks during his first visit to Africa. According to the British Newspaper The Guardian the Pontiff claimed that AIDS is: "a tragedy that cannot be overcome by money alone, that cannot be overcome through the distribution of condoms, which even aggravates the problems."
This is not the first time that Benedict has made such declarations. The Guardian continues:
Shortly after becoming pontiff in 2005, he told senior Catholic clergy from Africa that, while the disease was a "cruel epidemic", it could not be cured through using condoms.
Addressing bishops from South Africa, Botswana, Swaziland, Namibia and Lesotho who had traveled to the Vatican for papal audience, he said: "The traditional teaching of the church has proven to be the only failsafe way to prevent the spread of HIV/Aids."
He also warned them that African life was under threat from a number of factors, including condoms.
"It is of great concern that the fabric of African life, its very source of hope and stability, is threatened by divorce, abortion, prostitution, human trafficking and a contraception mentality,"
The Holy Father's position has angered human rights activists and others at work in the region who maintain that his position shows that he is more concerned to enforce and uphold Catholic doctrine, than he is with the loss of human life and the suffering of the victims.
Of course the Catholic Church has long opposed any use of contraceptives. But there are deep problems with the Pope's argument. First, in this particular case condoms are being used to prevent disease, not primarily as a contraceptive. Doesn't that count for something? And Second, how could using condoms make the AIDS crisis worse? It is undeniable that condoms greatly reduce the risk of contracting AIDS. Presumably the Pope means that abstinence is more effective that condoms. No doubt he is correct. But it seems utterly unreasonable to think that people will be abstinent.
Posted March 17th, 2009 by mattwion
