Holy Cannoli
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01:23
Pope: Condoms Can Be Justified in Some Cases. Benedict XVI - Condoms may be justified in some cases.More
Pope: Condoms Can Be Justified in Some Cases.
Benedict XVI - Condoms may be justified in some cases.
seanie
Back in 2007 there was a similar misinterpretaion by the press to the effect that the Catholic Church now approved condom use. I bet no one even remembers that now.
Holy Cannoli
Thank all of you for your very interesting comments. In what I hope will be my final post on this subject, I would like to pose several RHETORICAL questions.
1) Through the prism of our faith, are we not to use cold hard logic and reason (Fides et Ratio) when discussing matters theological/philosophical or is it preferable to simply circle the wagons and resort to a warm fuzzy combination of damage …More
Thank all of you for your very interesting comments. In what I hope will be my final post on this subject, I would like to pose several RHETORICAL questions.

1) Through the prism of our faith, are we not to use cold hard logic and reason (Fides et Ratio) when discussing matters theological/philosophical or is it preferable to simply circle the wagons and resort to a warm fuzzy combination of damage control and sentimentalism?

2) How in the world did we descend to the point where the Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church is discussing with a secular journalist the subject of homosexual male prostitutes, their sexuality and condoms?

3) What will be the effect of these comments among the one billion members of the Catholic Church with 10s of millions of them already practicing artificial birth control? Will these comments attributed to the pope act to confuse or clarify?

4) Will history view this moment as a glorious time in Benedict's papacy or will it be looked upon as an unfortunate time of confusion among the laity and subterfuge among opportunistic bishops and priests?

With this much fallout throughout the world over the Holy Father's interview, we can anticipate clarifications and clarifications of the clarifications to be forthcoming in the days, weeks and months to follow. After all is said and done, this very well could turn out to be a unique teaching opportunity for all of the faithful. Time will tell.

Seat of Wisdom, pray for us.

😇
ACLumsden
Gosh......this did generate much debate chaps! However, one rather finds the stark and rigid reasoning of some to be quite tiresome, using that philosophy rather too much, viz. quod scripsi scripsi. However, some of you have sought to dive deeper into the matter by means of debunking the inaccuracy in the reporting, etc.
However, do remember that Sancta Mater Ecclesia is concerned with the …More
Gosh......this did generate much debate chaps! However, one rather finds the stark and rigid reasoning of some to be quite tiresome, using that philosophy rather too much, viz. quod scripsi scripsi. However, some of you have sought to dive deeper into the matter by means of debunking the inaccuracy in the reporting, etc.

However, do remember that Sancta Mater Ecclesia is concerned with the salvation of souls, and only the salvation of souls. People come first, rather than the rigidity of that which is written (quite like Christ actually - recall the scene of Jesus and the prostitute, or the business of rescuing the ox on the sabath!).

On the other hand, also recall that it was because the people were so unteachable, that Moses allowed a rit of devorce to exist. Sometimes, a necessary evil must be allowed until human civilisation grows into the knowledge which bids it to improve.

Therefore, if the Holy Father would allow the use of Condoms under strict circumstances, one needs to accept it and move on smartly! On the other hand, if the Holy Father does not allow the use of Condoms under any circumstances, may God be praised. However, if it IS true that the Holy Father does advocate the use of condoms under certain circumstances, be warned - human civilisation has not improved from the Old Law, a thing most lamentable indeed! We need to take an incisive look at our civilisation, and get down on our knees!! 🙏
irenaeus
HolyCannoli said-
"Why were there warnings by the Vatican against condom use to protect against the transmission of AIDS and, today, the use of condoms is permitted for gay prostitutes with the "intention of reducing the risk of infection" ?"
This is not an accurate comparison. The Vatican did not endorse them for gay prostitutes. This was an interview completely detached from the teaching authority …More
HolyCannoli said-
"Why were there warnings by the Vatican against condom use to protect against the transmission of AIDS and, today, the use of condoms is permitted for gay prostitutes with the "intention of reducing the risk of infection" ?"

This is not an accurate comparison. The Vatican did not endorse them for gay prostitutes. This was an interview completely detached from the teaching authority of the Church. The Church's stance yesterday is still the Church's stance today.
holyrope 3
I trust that the Holy Father would remain the same as to what the Church has always taught. And I believe he does. No birth control,... including condoms for any reason.
But if the Pope does NOT speak in a more direct and conclusive manner for ALL to understand, many will have no clue as to what he is talking about; and this gives food to the liberals. And for those who have their PHD's who are …More
I trust that the Holy Father would remain the same as to what the Church has always taught. And I believe he does. No birth control,... including condoms for any reason.

But if the Pope does NOT speak in a more direct and conclusive manner for ALL to understand, many will have no clue as to what he is talking about; and this gives food to the liberals. And for those who have their PHD's who are bent on the liberal slant, even knowing well the meaning of the Pope's words, will, as the liberal media with whom they are in bed with, play the Pope's words to their own song.

That is why I wrote let's wait and see what else will manifest in the next week or so.
Holy Cannoli
@irenaeus
No, he was correct.
Is he correct today, last year or both?
I would like to direct your attention to four posts down from here. Please respond to the following question that I asked the poster, Holy Rope.
Here's my question. Why were there warnings by the Vatican against condom use to protect against the transmission of AIDS and, today, the use of condoms is permitted for gay prostitutes …More
@irenaeus

No, he was correct.

Is he correct today, last year or both?

I would like to direct your attention to four posts down from here. Please respond to the following question that I asked the poster, Holy Rope.

Here's my question. Why were there warnings by the Vatican against condom use to protect against the transmission of AIDS and, today, the use of condoms is permitted for gay prostitutes with the "intention of reducing the risk of infection" ? If the transmission of AIDS is not prevented by the use of condoms as the world was told by the Vatican as recently as 2009, why even remotely encourage their use now especially for homosexuals who are in the highest risk category? Wouldn't such “approval” be seen as an endorsement by some individuals which may, in fact, lead to even greater transmission of the disease?

😇
irenaeus
No, he was correct. The problem was that it takes a PHD in philosphy and theology to appreciate the nuances of what he was saying. Which is to say that it wasn't helpful to most people and created confusion.
insightscoop.typepad.com/…/what-does-the-h…More
No, he was correct. The problem was that it takes a PHD in philosphy and theology to appreciate the nuances of what he was saying. Which is to say that it wasn't helpful to most people and created confusion.

insightscoop.typepad.com/…/what-does-the-h…
Holy Cannoli
@irenaeus
You, of course, are absolutely correct.
He is allowed to be inexact or even wrong in his private opinions.
So then, was he inexact or even wrong in this instance?
😇More
@irenaeus

You, of course, are absolutely correct.

He is allowed to be inexact or even wrong in his private opinions.

So then, was he inexact or even wrong in this instance?

😇
irenaeus
This was an interview, not a papal bull, not an encyclical, not an apostolic exhortation, not an act of the magesterium of the church. It has no canonical force because it was a private opinion of the Holy Father. He is allowed to be inexact or even wrong in his private opinions. He admits as much in the book.
Holy Cannoli
I've been waiting for you to weigh in, Rope.
You quoted from the Pope's latest book:
"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 moralization, a first assumption of responsiblity, on the way toward recovering an awareness that not everything is allowed and that one cannot do whatever …More
I've been waiting for you to weigh in, Rope.

You quoted from the Pope's latest book:
"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 moralization, a first assumption of responsiblity, on the way toward recovering an awareness that not everything is allowed and that one cannot do whatever one wants.”

Based on that quote, I would like you to consider the following.
As recently as 18 months ago and in his first public comments on condom use, the pontiff told reporters en route to Cameroon that Aids "is a tragedy that cannot be overcome by money alone, and that cannot be overcome through the distribution of condoms, which even aggravates the problems".

Back in 2003 a senior Vatican official claimed condoms had tiny holes in them through which HIV can pass, exposing thousands of people to risk.
The then head of the Vatican Pontifical Council for the Family, Cardinal Alfonso Lopez Trujillo, said: "The Aids virus is roughly 450 times smaller than the spermatozoon. The spermatozoon can easily pass through the 'net' that is formed by the condom."
www.timesonline.co.uk/…/article5923927.…

Here's my question. Why were there warnings by the Vatican against condom use to protect against the transmission of AIDS and, today, the use of condoms is permitted for gay prostitutes with the "intention of reducing the risk of infection" ? If the transmission of AIDS is not prevented by the use of condoms as the world was told by the Vatican as recently as 2009, why even remotely encourage their use now especially for homosexuals who are in the highest risk category? Wouldn't such “approval” be seen as an endorsement by some individuals which may, in fact, lead to even greater transmission of the disease?

😊
holyrope 3
FRom The Pope's latest book, "Light Of The World"
"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 moralization, a first assumption of responsiblity, on the way toward recovering an awareness that not everything is allowed and that one cannot do whatever one wants. But it is not really the …More
FRom The Pope's latest book, "Light Of The World"

"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 moralization, a first assumption of responsiblity, on the way toward recovering an awareness that not everything is allowed and that one cannot do whatever one wants. But it is not really the way to deal with the evil of HIV infection. That can really lie only in a humanization of sexuality."

Question..(Peter Seewald) To the Pope

"Are you saying then, that the Catholic Church is actually not opposed in principle to the use of condoms?"

Pope...
"She of course does not regard it as a real or moral solution, but, in this or that case, there can be nonetheless, in the intention of reducing the risk of infection, a first step in a movement toward a different way, a more human way, a living sexuality."

Let's wait and see, more to come, from the interview.
m sr a
NEIN, DER PAPST ERLAUBT KONDOME NICHT
Hedda Christine Acker hat einen interessanten Kommentar geschrieben , in welchem sie auch für theologisch nicht Versierte in verständlicher Form anhabd des "Bankräuber-Beispiels" die Kondomverbotsgeschichte nochmal darlegt:
"Der Osservatore hat wohl entgegen der Absprache ein paar Sätze aus dem Buch veröffentlicht, die von so ziemlich allen Medien so verstanden …More
NEIN, DER PAPST ERLAUBT KONDOME NICHT

Hedda Christine Acker hat einen interessanten Kommentar geschrieben , in welchem sie auch für theologisch nicht Versierte in verständlicher Form anhabd des "Bankräuber-Beispiels" die Kondomverbotsgeschichte nochmal darlegt:

"Der Osservatore hat wohl entgegen der Absprache ein paar Sätze aus dem Buch veröffentlicht, die von so ziemlich allen Medien so verstanden wurden, wie der Spiegel sie auch verstanden hat. Dabei ignorieren die aber alle, dass es keine lehramtliche Verlautbarung gibt, der Papst auch in seinem Interviewbuch Kondome nicht erlaubt hat, und die Sätze natürlich aus dem Zusammenhang gerissen sind. Was der Papst wohl als Privatmeinung geäußert hat, ist, daß es natürlich besser ist, wenn ein Bankräuber eine ungeladene Waffe dabei hat, weil er dann nicht versehentlich aus Panik jemanden erschiessen kann. Davon ungeachtet ist ein Bankraub, mit oder ohne Pistole, schwere Sünde. Wenn ein Bankräuber jedoch absichtlich die Munition entfernt, ist das nen Tacken verantwortungsvoller als mit Munition in den Laden zu stürmen. Insgesamt wäre der Problematik jedoch mehr gedient, wenn der Bankräuber nicht stehlen würde, und nicht mit Gewalt drohen würde. Der Papst betont aber mehr als ich gerade, daß Bankraub so oder so Sünde ist, es aber vielleicht einen kleinen Schritt hin zu einem moralisch verantworten Leben sein KÖNNTE, wenn ein notorischer Räuber irgendwann auf die Idee kommt, es sei womöglich besser, die Munition vorher rauszunehmen. Das kann aber nur der erste Schritt hin zu der Erkenntnis sein, daß er die Knarre ganz stecken lassen sollte und zur Bank nur zu gehen hat, wenn er ne Überweisung einwerfen will, und nicht, um fremdes Geld zu klauen. So. Und das kann man ziemlich gut auf die Kondomproblematik übertragen, das bißchen Denksport kriegt man auch an nem Sonntag hin. Schöner Link, für alle, die halbwegs Englisch können: www.ncregister.com/blog/the-pope-said-w…"

Danke Hedda!
Irapuato
Pope Benedict advocates right sexuality, not condom use, in fight against HIV
Vatican City, Nov 20, 2010 / 07:39 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Excerpts of Pope Benedict XVI’s new book are already causing a stir. Though some media reports claim he offers a change in papal teaching about condom use, Pope Benedict in fact says that a humanized sexuality, not condoms, is the right response to HIV.
The Nov. 21…More
Pope Benedict advocates right sexuality, not condom use, in fight against HIV

Vatican City, Nov 20, 2010 / 07:39 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Excerpts of Pope Benedict XVI’s new book are already causing a stir. Though some media reports claim he offers a change in papal teaching about condom use, Pope Benedict in fact says that a humanized sexuality, not condoms, is the right response to HIV.
The Nov. 21 edition of the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano (LOR) will release excerpts of the pontiff’s book "Light of the World: The Pope, the Church and the Signs of the Times.”
The book contains the Pope's responses to questions from Peter Seewald, a German reporter who spoke with him over a week last summer about the most sensitive and important questions in Church life today.
The themes treated in the book are edgy and the reception of the Pope's words is likely to be varied, but his answers offer a unique look into his teachings and his perspective on the Church and the world.
In the excerpts offered in LOR, just two brief paragraphs provide the Pope's response to a question on sexuality in the world today. He says that concentrating on the use of the condom only serves to trivialize sexuality.
This trivialization leads many people to no longer see sex as an expression of love, but as a self-administered drug. The fight against the banalization of sexuality is part of a great effort to change this view to a more positive one.
According to one much-commented excerpt printed in L'Osservatore Romano, the Pope concedes that there can be single cases in which the use of a condom may be justified.
He uses the example of prostitutes who might use prophylactics as a first step toward moralization, that is, becoming moral. In such a case, condom use might be their first act of responsibility to redevelop their consciousness of the fact that not everything is permitted and that one cannot do everything one wants.
While secular outlets such as Time Magazine characterized this remark as “a stunning turnaround” for the Church, Pope Benedict goes on to explain that this is not the true and proper way to defeat HIV. Instead what is necessary is the humanization of sexuality.
Elsewhere in the excerpts from the forthcoming book, the pontiff speaks of the footprint of Judaism, Islam and Christianity in the modern world.
He also expresses his shock at the extent of the sexual abuse of minors in the Church and the evident wish of mass media to discredit the Church for these abuses rather than purely to investigate the truth.
He warns that true tolerance can fall victim to current misunderstandings of the concept. He also speaks of the destruction of families, young people and society due to drug consumption.
Another controversy Pope Benedict addresses is whether the ordination of women to the Catholic priesthood is possible.
In brief, Pope Benedict says that it is not a question of responding to the wishes of the people, but a question of whether the Church has the power to ordain women. Repeating the words of John Paul II from a 1994 document on the priesthood, he said the Church "has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women.”
He explains that following Christ's establishment of Church leadership on the foundation of the original 12 male apostles is a question of obedience. It is perhaps one of the most difficult aspects to obey, he explains, but this is what makes it important.
The Church is not an arbitrary regime, he comments, and the priesthood is supposed to be a form of service and not domination. Even though it might be difficult, the Church follows the Lord's will and cannot be molded to the wishes of individuals.
The function of women in the Church is too significant to speak of discrimination, says the Pope, who notes the importance of historic figures such as Mary, Monica and Mother Teresa.
Women are so important, he says, that in many ways they define the face of the Church more than men.
Elsewhere in the excerpts, Pope Benedict describes himself as a beggar who relies on his friendship with the Lord, Mary and the saints to live his vocation. His life without Christian joy would be unsupportable, he declares.
Holy Cannoli
@Bob Jones papist
Poope doesnt talk about sych things publicly very much..and shouldnt.
Exactly!
Therefore, what was the point of the comment in the first place? Do you beleive that 'ordinary' Catholics are going to research his statement thoroughly and study the subtle distinctions as you've done? Or, are those same Catholics, along with non-Catholics, the meida, liberal bishops and preists etc …More
@Bob Jones papist

Poope doesnt talk about sych things publicly very much..and shouldnt.

Exactly!

Therefore, what was the point of the comment in the first place? Do you beleive that 'ordinary' Catholics are going to research his statement thoroughly and study the subtle distinctions as you've done? Or, are those same Catholics, along with non-Catholics, the meida, liberal bishops and preists etc going to look at this comment as a reversal of the Church's position.

What was the point? Again, are condoms and gay male prostitues a pressing issue for the Catholic Church that must be addressed at this time? Clean needles are not the answer for heroin addicts nor are condoms the answer for gay, homosexual prostitutes. It's about abstinence and self-control not condoms or clean needles.

😇
Irapuato
🙏 It would not be the first time that the media got it wrong--and that people want to believe what suits them, and will listen to the "prince of lies and darkness"...
Bob Jones papist
The Pope did not endorse the use of condoms-
wdtprs.com/…/the-pope-did-no…
"He did not address whether condoms are legitimate (i.e., morally acceptable) in the circumstance described.He addressed the intention of the user, in a particular circumstance, and said that that intention could lead the user to a more appropriate understanding of human sexuality, which would also include an awareness of …More
The Pope did not endorse the use of condoms-

wdtprs.com/…/the-pope-did-no…
"He did not address whether condoms are legitimate (i.e., morally acceptable) in the circumstance described.He addressed the intention of the user, in a particular circumstance, and said that that intention could lead the user to a more appropriate understanding of human sexuality, which would also include an awareness of why homosexual actions are wrong. "
its a discussion in German, about a specific moral case, that of a male prostitute trapped in the lifestyle , with the of using a condom with intention to possibly stop aids spread. the Pope says that as a good moral intention, and perhaps a first step, in ones good intentions,,towards a growth and complete moral change in life.
this will be taken out of context by media, idiots, who do ot understand the nuances of Moral Theology, thats why the Pope doesn't talk about such things publicly very much..and shouldn't. see also.
www.ignatius.com/promotions/light-of-the-world

"

The Pope spoke about the relative goodness of the subjective intention of the condom user, in the situation the Pope described, not about the objective goodness of the use of condoms. Whatever one thinks of the latter, it is not the same as the former. To maintain that a person can choose to use a condom out of a subjectively good intention, doesn't mean that, ipso facto, the means he chooses to realize the intention are objectively good.
The subjective intention not to harm another by spreading a disease in an act of sexual congress can be a first other-regarding attitude that may develop into a wider regard and a deeper understanding of sexuality. In turn, that could lead the male prostitute not to engage in homosexual acts, etc. That's the Pope's point. But this says nothing about whether the objective nature of what one does in order to carry out one's intention is morally good, i.e., capable of being ordered to the true integral human good when chosen with understanding and full consent. Nor does it determine whether it is, all other things being equal, a prudent way of achieving what is rightly intended in a situation in which the act also includes intending other things at odds with true human flourishing."
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insightscoop.typepad.com/…/what-does-the-h…
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insightscoop.typepad.com/…/excerpt-pope-be…

😇 but i which Popes would stop giving, publishing interviews with silly controversial reporters...
Irapuato
What does the Holy Father really say about condoms in the new book?
By Dr. Janet E. Smith
This week, Light of the World, a book-length interview given by Pope Benedict XVI to journalist Peter Seewald, will be released worldwide. Several of the Holy Father's statements have already started making news, particularly his comments regarding condom usage in the prevention of the spread of HIV.
To the …More
What does the Holy Father really say about condoms in the new book?
By Dr. Janet E. Smith
This week, Light of the World, a book-length interview given by Pope Benedict XVI to journalist Peter Seewald, will be released worldwide. Several of the Holy Father's statements have already started making news, particularly his comments regarding condom usage in the prevention of the spread of HIV.

To the charge that “It is madness to forbid a high-risk population to use condoms,” in the context of an extended answer on the help the Church is giving AIDs victims and the need to fight the banalization of sexuality, Pope Benedict replied:
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 moralization, 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. But it is not really the way to deal with the evil of HIV infection. That can really lie only in a humanization of sexuality.
Are you saying, then, that the Catholic Church is actually not opposed in principle to the use of condoms?
She of course does not regard it as a real or moral solution, but, in this or that case, there can be nonetheless, in the intention of reducing the risk of infection, a first step in a movement toward a different way, a more human way, of living sexuality.
What is Pope Benedict saying?
We must note that the example that Pope Benedict gives for the use of a condom is a male prostitute; thus, it is reasonable to assume that he is referring to a male prostitute engaged in homosexual acts. The Holy Father is simply observing that for some homosexual prostitutes the use of a condom may indicate an awakening of a moral sense; an awakening that sexual pleasure is not the highest value, but that we must take care that we harm no one with our choices. He is not speaking to the morality of the use of a condom, but to something that may be true about the psychological state of those who use them. If such individuals are using condoms to avoid harming another, they may eventually realize that sexual acts between members of the same sex are inherently harmful since they are not in accord with human nature. The Holy Father does not in any way think the use of condoms is a part of the solution to reducing the risk of AIDs. As he explicitly states, the true solution involves “humanizing sexuality.”
Anyone having sex that threatens to transmit HIV needs to grow in moral discernment. This is why Benedict focused on a “first step” in moral growth. The Church is always going to be focused on moving people away from immoral acts towards love of Jesus, virtue, and holiness. We can say that the Holy Father clearly did not want to make a point about condoms, but wants to talk about growth in a moral sense, which should be a growth towards Jesus.
So is the Holy Father saying it is morally good for male prostitutes to use condoms? The Holy Father is not articulating a teaching of the Church about whether or not the use of a condom reduces the amount of evil in a homosexual sexual act that threatens to transmit HIV. The Church has no formal teaching about how to reduce the evil of intrinsically immoral action. We must note that what is intrinsically wrong in a homosexual sexual act in which a condom is used is not the moral wrong of contraception but the homosexual act itself. In the case of homosexual sexual activity, a condom does not act as a contraceptive; it is not possible for homosexuals to contracept since their sexual activity has no procreative power that can be thwarted. But the Holy Father is not making a point about whether the use of a condom is contraceptive or even whether it reduces the evil of a homosexual sexual act; again, he is speaking about the psychological state of some who might use condoms. The intention behind the use of the condom (the desire not to harm another) may indicate some growth in a sense of moral responsibility.
In Familiaris Consortio (On the Role of the Christian Family in the Modern World), John Paul II spoke of the need for conversion, which often proceeds by gradual steps:
To the injustice originating from sin … we must all set ourselves in opposition through a conversion of mind and heart, following Christ Crucified by denying our own selfishness: such a conversion cannot fail to have a beneficial and renewing influence even on the structures of society.
What is needed is a continuous, permanent conversion which, while requiring an interior detachment from every evil and an adherence to good in its fullness, is brought about concretely in steps which lead us ever forward. Thus a dynamic process develops, one which advances gradually with the progressive integration of the gifts of God and the demands of His definitive and absolute love in the entire personal and social life of man. (9)
Christ himself, of course, called for a turning away from sin. That is what the Holy Father is advocating here; not a turn towards condoms. Conversion, not condoms!

Would it be proper to conclude that the Holy Father would support the distribution of condoms to male prostitutes? Nothing he says here indicates that he would. Public programs of distribution of condoms run the risk of conveying approval for homosexual sexual acts. The task of the Church is to call individuals to conversion and to moral behavior; it is to help them understand the meaning and purpose of sexuality and to help them come to know Christ, who will provide the healing and graces that enable us to live in accord with the meaning and purpose of sexuality.
Is Pope Benedict indicating that heterosexuals who have HIV could reduce the wrongness of their acts by using condoms? No. In his second answer he says that the Church does not find condoms to be a “real or moral solution.” That means the Church does not find condoms either to be moral or an effective way of fighting the transmission of HIV. As the Holy Father indicates in his fuller answer, the most effective portion of programs designed to reduce the transmission of HIV are calls to abstinence and fidelity.
The Holy Father, again, is saying that the intention to reduce the transmission of any infection is a “first step” in a movement towards a more human way of living sexuality. That more human way would be to do nothing that threatens to harm one’s sexual partner, who should be one’s beloved spouse. For an individual with HIV to have sexual intercourse with or without a condom is to risk transmitting a lethal disease.
An analogy: If someone was going to rob a bank and was determined to use a gun, it would better for that person to use a gun that had no bullets in it. It would reduce the likelihood of fatal injuries. But it is not the task of the Church to instruct potential bank robbers how to rob banks more safely and certainly not the task of the Church to support programs of providing potential bank robbers with guns that could not use bullets. Nonetheless, the intent of a bank robber to rob a bank in a way that is safer for the employees and customers of the bank may indicate an element of moral responsibility that could be a step towards eventual understanding of the immorality of bank robbing.

Dr. Janet E. Smith holds the Father Michael J. McGivney Chair of Life Ethics at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit. She speaks nationally and internationally on Catholic teachings on sexuality and on bioethics, and has published numerous articles and several books on sexuality and bioethics. She is serving a third term as a consultor to the Pontifical Council on the Family. She is author of The Right to Privacy, a study of Roe v. Wade and related court cases.

www.catholicworldreport.com/index.php
Holy Cannoli
There is at least one lesson that can be learned here. Never, ever, ever should a Catholic cleric or layman give an interview regarding the faith to a secular news source. These kinds of “news people” are NOT interested in the truth. They are interested in a juicy story to print or to air. They will edit and misrepresent your comments to suit their agenda not caring at all if it makes you look …More
There is at least one lesson that can be learned here. Never, ever, ever should a Catholic cleric or layman give an interview regarding the faith to a secular news source. These kinds of “news people” are NOT interested in the truth. They are interested in a juicy story to print or to air. They will edit and misrepresent your comments to suit their agenda not caring at all if it makes you look like a heretic or a fool. For them, it's all about circulation/viewership and the more controversial, the more salacious, or the more damaging to Catholicism the better.

Ask yourself how will you respond this week when non Catholic co-workers remark “So, I heard on the news that the Pope now approves of condoms” They will continue, “isn't that a stunning reversal of the Church's position"?

You will be forced to sheepishly respond that condom use only applies to a very select group of individuals -- namely gay, homosexual, disease carrying prostitutes. Of course, liberal bishops, priests and laity will use their typical tortured logic to use this as an opportunity to expand condom use to people other than gay, homosexual, disease carrying prostitutes. The faithful in the pew (with exceptions duly noted) are clueless about many of the teachings of the faith. This comment does nothing to relieve their confusion but, rather, contributes to it.

This is a no-win subject which, in my opinion, is not one of the many pressing issues that Catholicism faces today. Therefore, what's the point in addressing it in the first place.

Clean needles are not the answer for heroin addicts nor are condoms the answer for gay, homosexual prostitutes. It's about abstinence and self-control not condoms or clean needles.

☕