Posted on 01/22/2005 2:29:26 PM PST by wagglebee
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope John Paul on Saturday stressed that the Roman Catholic Church believed abstinence and fidelity within marriage, and not condoms, were the best way to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS.
The Pope's words, spoken to a new ambassador to the Vatican, took on an added significance being his first direct comment on the controversial topic since a Catholic official in Spain this week appeared to question the Church's stand against condoms.
"The Holy See ... believes prevention through education about the sacredness of life and the correct practice of sexuality, that is chastity and faithfulness, is necessary above all other things in order to prevent this disease responsibly," the 84-year old Pontiff said in a written address.
The Church opposes condoms in all except the rarest of circumstances because they are a form of contraception.
It says promoting the use of condoms to fight the spread of AIDS fosters what it sees as immoral and hedonistic lifestyles and behavior that will only contribute to its spread.
The condom debate made the front pages of newspapers around the world this week after Father Juan Antonio Martinez Camino, secretary-general of the Spanish bishops conference, said they could have "a place in the global approach to tackling AIDS."
The next day, the conference effectively retracted his statement saying there had not been any change in the Church's position on the use of condoms.
"At my request, the church has mobilized in favor of the victims and especially in order to assure access to help and the necessary medical care through a number of treatment centers," the Polish Pope said, referring to a Vatican foundation.
The Good Samaritan foundation was founded last year to coordinate funds from charities and organizations helping AIDS victims, particularly in Africa.
The Pope made his comments on AIDS in a welcome address to the new Netherlands ambassador, Monique Frank.
He took the opportunity also to reiterate the Vatican's condemnation of the Netherlands' legalisation of euthanasia.
"The Holy See has made known its clear position and invites Catholics in the Netherlands always to show their absolute respect for human life, from conception to natural death."
The left will NEVER, EVER understand this simple concept.
I saw a sign once that said "AIDS Cures Fags!" Granted it wasn't "PC," but it was pretty correct, and kind of funny!
This is a tricky issue, and I have been following it pretty closely - there have been two sets of opinions stated at the Cardinal level within the Catholic Church. It is important to read what Papa said very closely, but this seems to be a stand that removes ambiguity about the position.
The libs and the fems will make a lot of hay on this.
The left will NEVER, EVER understand this simple concept.
That's because they can neither regulate nor make a dime off of it.
RHL Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Instruction on Respect for Human Life in Its Origin and on the Dignity of Procreation
Catholic Ping - please freepmail me if you want on/off this list
"The Holy See has made known its clear position and invites Catholics in the Netherlands always to show their absolute respect for human life, from conception to natural death."
Pro-life ping!
Very true...but condoms make sense for those who don't believe/ follow the above teaching.
I certainly believe in the sanctity of life and monogamy in marriage. But I don't think that condoms interfere with the sanctity of life. If the sperm and egg never meet - no conception.
Bookmark.
This should be an interesting thread.
Good article, but the above begs the question: which circumstances?
That caught my attention too. Something that is intrinsically evil can never be a "good", or permitted. What on earth is the author referring too?
Is the author just injecting his own opinion, or or this more double speak from the curia?
"married couples can use condoms when one or both of them is HIV-positive, and provided they abstain from sex while the woman is ovulating."
This is a fascinating debate, and I wish that Papa had held off on this, but, well, he's Pope and I'm not.
Previously we had two stated opinions - Many "liberal" cardinals quietly acknowledged that condom use was acceptable, usually as the "lesser of two evils" with respect to AIDS protection. But the position that got the most media attention was that put forth by Cardinal Alfonso Lopez Trujillo, (sometimes considered to be "outspoken") who argued that condoms were both immoral and an ineffective method of preventing AIDS because they could leak, slip, break, or fail to be used. As such, that position stated, condoms gave a false sense of security for AIDS protection.
The anti-Catholic MSM was very careful to put forth on the "immoral" part of Cardinal Trujillo's position, and always skipped the "ineffective" part.
The anti-Catholic forces, (usually reading press releases verbatim given to them by their gay activists friends,) also incorrectly publicized Trujillo's position as the *Vatican* position on condom use, which was incorrect. Very few reporters understand how the Catholic church works.
Anyway, this latest news seem to put forth the Pope's position. But the statement and context would have to be scrutinized carefully by someone who understood the workings of the See in order or to correctly attribute the authority behind it.
Precisely! no conception = no life.
Actually, wasn't it Axl Rose of Guns N Roses who wore a T-shirt that said "AIDS Kills Fags DEAD" as a play on the old Raid roach spray tagline? Then some other rocker mocked Rose by wearing a shirt that said "Cancer kills grandmas DEAD". Heh.
Totally unnecessary and off-topic. Stop being a clown.
I have absoloutly no idea. But, I never paid much attention to rose once he screwed over Metallica in Canada.
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