Vatican insists condoms acceptable only in 'exceptional' cases
The Vatican emphasised today that the use of condoms was acceptable only in 'exceptional' cases, after an apparent U-turn by Pope Benedict XVI on a blanket ban on their use.
Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said the 83-year-old pope was speaking about "an exceptional situation" when he said in an interview that condom use was acceptable to the Roman Catholic Church in "certain cases".
"The pope considered an exceptional situation in which the exercise of sexuality is a real danger to the life of another," said Lombardi.
In a book of interviews due out on Tuesday, Benedict says that condom use is acceptable "in certain cases", notably to reduce the risk of HIV infection, apparently softening his once hardline stance.
The pope used the specific example of a male prostitute using a condom to illustrate his apparent shift in position.
"There may be justified individual cases, for example when a male prostitute uses a condom, where this can be ... a first bit of responsibility, to re-develop the understanding that not everything is permitted and that one may not do everything one wishes," Benedict was quoted as saying.
However, the Vatican spokesman said that "in this particular case, the pope does not morally justify the disordered exercise of sexuality, but considers that the use of condoms may be a 'first act of responsibility'."
The United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, UNAIDS, welcomed Benedict's remarks as "a significant and positive step forward taken by the Vatican."
Until now, the Vatican had prohibited the use of any form of contraception -- other than abstinence -- even as a guard against sexually transmitted disease.
In a series of interviews published in his native German, the 83-year-old Benedict is asked whether "the Catholic Church is not fundamentally against the use of condoms."
"It of course does not see it as a real and moral solution," the pope replies.
"In certain cases, where the intention is to reduce the risk of infection, it can nevertheless be a first step on the way to another, more humane sexuality," said the head of the world's 1.1 billion Catholics.
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Paul Galea
Nov 22nd 2010, 13:19
…… "In certain cases, where the intention is to reduce the risk of infection, it can nevertheless be a first step on the way to another, more humane sexuality,"
… "There may be justified individual cases, for example when a male prostitute uses a condom, where this can be ... a first bit of responsibility, to re-develop the understanding that not everything is permitted and that one may not do everything one wishes," Benedict was quoted as saying.
Surely the Pope is not advocating the use of condoms.
Besides, Mr Jeremy Camilleri’s comment “Bishop vs Pope” is completely out of place.
The teaching of the Bishop of Gozo, on this matter, is in complete harmony with that of the Pope.
Victor Ross
Nov 22nd 2010, 12:59
"Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said the 83-year-old pope was speaking about" .............the use of condoms. May I gently ask. How can an 83 year old unmarried person ever talk positevely about condoms or birth control. What does he know about raising children in to-days world.?
Paul Caruana
Nov 22nd 2010, 10:37
In effect, there is a disturbing trend by the Vatican bureaucracy to undermine/oppose attempts by successive popes to introduce more modern ways of thinking within the Church on various issues - this was most notoriously seen during the second vatican council.
For all the talk about the absolute authority of the pope, in practice he is severely limited by what he can do by his "underlings".
Once again, it highlights the need for reform in this area.
T Mifsud
Nov 22nd 2010, 08:55
I cannot believe what I'm reading! Male prostitute?!
To speak in favour of condoms to reduce HIV is commendable. But to link the 'authorisation' of condoms with another 'sin' is incredible. As it is written verbatim, the Pope is also recognising prostitution as part of the social fabric without chastasising its practice. Are we saying that to be catholic and be ourselves excercising our sexuality safely, we have to be male prostitutes? What about the female counterparts, which outnumber the males several fold?
It would have been way better for the pope to allow condoms fullstop.
J Brincat
Nov 22nd 2010, 08:41
So at long last the Church has seen the light at the end of the tunnel!
Alison Bezzina
Nov 22nd 2010, 08:33
The Church can change whatever it wants. Its hands are not tied as the Pope would like us to believe. For instance, up to the 1800s the Church preached that God allowed slavery, now it condemns it. Up to a few years ago, the Church taught us that children who die before being baptised go to Limbo for eternity, now they decided that they don’t. And, after years of condemning the use of condoms, the Pope it is now acceptable to use them, ‘in certain cases’. http://www.timesofmalta.com.mt/blogs/view/20101121/alison-bezzina/forgive-me-mother-for-i-have-sinned
George Debono
Nov 21st 2010, 22:34
Why this this obsession with sex?
Surely there are more serious things to worry about than condoms? The starving millions? War ?
Groan.
Peter Bonnici
Nov 21st 2010, 22:03
For catholics whose sex life is exceptional, this must be great news.
Josephine Bugeja
Nov 21st 2010, 21:09
I haven't read the pope's document but mentioning male prostitutes as an example seems strange. What about married men who may be infected using condoms to protect their wives? would this not have been a more obvious case? The chrch may have finally realized the difference between contracpetion and prophylactic use. Belatedly, as usual. there will be other u-turns in futuire - divorce included.
edwin abela
Nov 21st 2010, 20:30
Oh goody! Ring them bells people! The Vatican has just moved up from the Stone Age to the Dark Ages. Maybe in a 1000 years time we can welcome it into the Middle ages.
Jeremy J Camilleri
Nov 21st 2010, 18:28
I wonder how the Bishop of Gozo and Joseph Zammit will take this news....Bishop vs Pope I wonder?
jcamilleri
Nov 21st 2010, 22:52
The Bishop of Gozo does not need your words. He is such an open-minded person that surely you're no match for him. U ahna m'ahniex niggustawk!
Joseph Ellul - Sydney
Nov 22nd 2010, 07:56
according to Joseph Zammit the Pope will go to hell. READ THIS WELL. It is a mortal sin to use condomes and so anybody in a church position will be condemning himself to hell if that person condons condoms.
Joseph Calleja
Nov 21st 2010, 18:12
Why can't the church come to a full stop and admit defeat. It has to squeeze every drop before it gives in and admit that sometimes it could be as wrong and as stubborn as the rest of us. If the church would have admitted that the use of condoms was not a sin and that using condoms etc could help prevent the spread of sexual diseases such as the spread of the AIDs Virus, the church might have saved thousands of lives. Maybe even the Pope is accepting that fact, even though a bit late. The church tried to do the same thing with the hiding of the paedophile priests and ended up apologizing for it. The church is not infallible. What a waste of human life.
P. Vincenti
Nov 22nd 2010, 11:21
Mr Calleja,
It is sad to see that you view this situation as one of either win or defeat. It is about people, their future and it is a very serious issue.
Yours seems to be teh exemplification of why no pogress is ever made.
Arthur Soler
Nov 21st 2010, 16:58
Finally, the Pope is showing some common sense, despite the fact that the current proposal stops very short of the ideal.....in effect, an endorsement by the Vatican of the use of condoms for disease prevention AND contraception.
However, as the saying goes, "we can climb a high mountain one step at a time". At least the Pope has taken the first concrete step. We shall see if and when has the courage and the common sense to take the second step.
Christopher Xuereb
Nov 21st 2010, 16:56
"Vatican insists condoms acceptable only in 'exceptional' cases". Who gives tuppence anyway? Not the majority of the world's population as it's not catholic...and neither do most catholics either. He might as well be spitting in the wind for all its worth
Paul Caruana
Nov 21st 2010, 16:49
It is a small step in the right direction. One one hand, I appreciate that if all of humanity followed the catholic church principles on sexual behaviour, condoms would be unnecessary. Indeed, the terrible scourge of sexually transmitted diseases would not exist.
On the other hand, the church has an obligation to realize that many, including many in the church, do not follow such teachings, however good they might be!
In these cirucmstances, condom use MUST be recongnised as the lesser evil, as opposed to a rigid, no condom use policy under any circumstance.
Rev.Charles Vella
Nov 21st 2010, 21:03
Il-principju tal-' lesser evil' huwa principju pilosofiku morali, li kien dejjem tghalim tal-knisja. dan ma jfissirx li is-sacerdoti qaghdu jistennew lil Papa jkun ufficjali biex japlikawh, izda skond it-tghalim kattoliku, u is-sitwazzjoni konkreta tal-mument, ibqa cert li l-ebda qassis , barra li jirrispetta it-tghalim mhux ser ipoggi ukoll it-tghalim fil-prattika, specjalment meta ghandek l-valur tal-hajja humana, jew perikoli ghalija!Ghal min qed jghix hajja immorali mhux ser ikun virtwalment tajjeb ghax ma juzax condom, anzi jrid jiehu hsieb sahhtu u ta haddiehor! Fil-principju intrinsikament huwa hazin jekk tuza -condom bhala vaska lussurja, izda l-aplikazzjoni tista issir kompletament differenti. Dan l-principju jitratta tabilhaq li is-sesswalita idejalment ma tkun qatt istrumentalizzata ghaz-zina u l-pjacir, izda biss ghal-imhabba. b'dal mod ir-razan u li wiehed jistenna, jimatura l-esperjenza tal-imhabba!. u ghax rari issir aktar espressjoni ta valur. Dan huwa biss diskors ufficjali, izda fil-prattika dan l-imbierek diskors hafna drabi redikolat, kien dejjem imwiezen min principji ohra bhala huwa tal-lesser evil.
J Farrugia
Nov 22nd 2010, 08:30
Paul, if "catholics" do not follow the Church's teachings on morality, they wont even follow Christ. Because whoever hears you (the Church) hears ME (Christ). We have so many lapsed catholics that it is no surprise to any of us. Christ, when he was teaching his appostles about the eucharist, saw many of his followers going away in dispair. Even his appostles told Him : Lord they are abandoning you, try to satisfy their egoisms. And what was His answer? "Do you want to go away also? Remember it was I who chose you not the other way round." And that's what I still say: Even if all the church's followers decide to abondon the catholic faith, God will have other followers and from unexpected quarters instead of them. for the first will be last and the last will take their place. Have faith man in the face of this modern persecution of the catholic church.