Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI commented on his position on condom use in a new book that came out Tuesday, Light of the World, by German journalist Peter Seewald. The Pope believes that condoms are the lesser of two evils when used to curb the spread of AIDS, even if their use prevents a pregnancy.
Some are calling it a “seismic shift” in Vatican policy toward birth control, but the Vatican still maintains that condom use is immoral and that church doctrine forbidding artificial birth control remains unchanged.
The position was an acknowledgment that the church’s longtime stand against condoms as birth-control devices doesn’t justify putting lives at risk. Observers said the pontiff’s message that condom use, and its inherent ability to prevent conception, was justifiable on health grounds. “This is a game-changer,” said James Martin, a Jesuit priest and culture editor of the religious magazine America.
The statement came on a day when U.N. AIDS officials announced that the number of new HIV cases has fallen significantly.
The Pope cited prostitution as a justification for condom use stating, “It’s the first step of taking responsibility, of taking into consideration the risk of the life of another with whom you have a relationship.”
