Of Popes and Condoms

The HIV world has been stirred up once again by a comment from the Pope about condom use. Reactions have been mixed as organizations and individuals try to figure out the exact meaning of the Pope’s latest comments.

On November 23rd, a book-length interview with Pope Benedict XVI titled, “Light of the World: The Pope, the Church and the Signs of the Times”, was released. Somewhere in the middle of this 250 page tome the Pope touches on condom use, saying:

“There may be a basis in the case of some individuals, as perhaps when a male prostitute uses a condom, where this can be a first step in the direction of a moralisation, a first assumption of responsibility, on the way toward recovering an awareness that not everything is allowed and that one cannot do whatever one wants.”

The Pope goes on to say that condoms aren’t “really the way to deal with the evil of HIV infection” and that the Catholic Church doesn’t regard condoms as a “real or moral solution”. But many have interpreted the Pope’s comments as the first step towards recognizing that using a condom to prevent the spread of HIV would be the lesser of two evils.

The Catholic Church has remained firm on their stance against artificial contraception in general and also the use of condoms in particular (both for preventing pregnancy and the spread of HIV). Given this unwavering position, many AIDS service organizations responded to the Pope’s latest comments with optimism. UNAIDS even went so far as to “welcome Pope Benedict’s support to HIV prevention”.

Meanwhile, the Vatican and many church officials have been cautioning people against reading too much into the Pope’s comment. The Pope was not, in fact, changing church doctrine or even necessarily going so far as to “justify” condom use. All papal statements are apparently not created equal.

So the question remains, is this a first step towards the Catholic Church recognizing the critical role that condoms can play in preventing the spread of HIV? And if it is, might that step be so small as to be considered completely ineffectual?

What do you think about the Pope’s recent comments? Do you think that this is a step towards the Catholic Church changing it’s stance on condom use in a broader range of cases with the goal of stemming the spread of HIV?


Sources
Donadio, Rachel. “Pope’s Comments on Condoms Sow Confusion.” New York Times. November 22, 2010. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/23/world/europe/23pope.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss&pagewanted=print. Retrieved November 24, 2010.
Kenny, Peter and Sandri, Luigi. “UNAIDS says Pope’s condom move makes HIV cooperation easier.” The Christian Century. November 23, 2010. http://www.christiancentury.org/article/2010-11/unaids-says-popes-condom-move-makes-hiv-cooperation-easier. Retrieved November 24, 2010
UNAIDS welcomes Pope Benedict’s support to HIV prevention. UNAIDS Press Release. November 20, 2010. http://unaidstoday.org/?p=1662. Retrieved November 24, 2010.