In a book based on interviews with a German journalist, Pope Benedict XVI said that the use of condoms can be justified to prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS, referring in particular to gay male prostitutes. His spokesman clarified Nov. 23 that this applied, even if it prevented a pregnancy.
These comments represent a dramatic shift from the Catholic Church’s archaic stance against artificial birth control. Last year in Africa, the Pope said that the distribution of condoms “increases the problem” of AIDS.
Public health officials have known for decades that the use of condoms is the most effective deterrent against the spread of HIV/AIDS. That Pope Benedict is finally aligning the Church’s policy to this common knowledge is undoubtedly due to the worldwide movement to fight the spread of HIV/AIDS.
A disproportionate number of the 33.4 million people living with AIDS reside in sub-Saharan Africa which, as a result of colonialism, lacks developed social infrastructure and health care systems.
