Pope's condom stance under fire

Pope's condom stance under fire

Reuters, The Associated Press
Published: March 18, 2009

YAOUNDÉ, Cameroon: The Vatican on Wednesday defended Pope Benedict XVI’s opposition to the use of condoms to stop the spread of AIDS as activists, doctors and governments criticized it as unrealistic, unscientific and dangerous.

Benedict, arriving in Africa, said Tuesday that condoms ‘‘increase the problem’’ of AIDS. The comment, made to reporters aboard his plane, caused a worldwide storm of criticism.

‘‘My reaction is that this represents a major step backward in terms of global health education, is entirely counter-productive, and is likely to lead to increases in H.I.V. infection in Africa and elsewhere,’’ said Quentin Sattentau, professor of Immunology at Oxford University. ‘‘There is a large body of published evidence demonstrating that condom use reduces the risk of acquiring H.I.V. infection, but does not lead to increased sexual activity.’’

The church teaches that fidelity within heterosexual marriage and abstinence are the best ways to stop AIDS.

Asked about the criticism, a Vatican spokesman, the Reverend Federico Lombardi, said that the pope was expressing a longstanding Vatican position, and that Benedict wanted to stress that a reliance on condoms distracted from the need for proper education in sexual conduct. The Vatican asserts that condoms can lead to risky sexual behavior, but many contest that view.

Kevin De Cock, director of the H.I.V./AIDS program at the World Health Organization, said there was no scientific evidence showing that condom use spurs people to take more sexual risks.

He said in an interview by telephone that condoms were highly effective ‘‘to prevent the transmission of H.I.V. if they are used correctly and consistently.’’

Mr. De Cock said abstinence and reducing the number of partners were also needed and praised faith-based groups, noting that many Catholic charities provided treatment for people with the virus in some of the poorest and most remote parts of the world.

France and Germany, meanwhile, said Wednesday that the pope’s comments could endanger public health and defended condoms as a fundamental tool in preventing the spread of H.I.V. France ‘‘expresses its very strong concern about the consequences of the statements by Benedict XVI,’’ a Foreign Ministry spokesman, Eric Chevallier, said.

‘‘While it is not up to us to pass judgment on the doctrine of the church, we consider that these statements endanger public health policies and the imperative to protect human life,’’ Mr. Chevallier said during an online briefing Wednesday. ‘‘Along with information, education and testing, the condom is a fundamental element of actions to prevent transmission of the AIDS virus.’’

In Berlin, Health Minister Ulla Schmidt and Development Minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul issued a declaration criticizing the pope’s comments and underlining the importance of condom use in developing nations.

H.I.V., the virus that can lead to AIDS, infects 33 million people globally and has killed 25 million.

Benedict warns of dangers

Benedict urged bishops in Cameroon on Wednesday to defend the traditional African family from the dangers of modernity and secularization and to spare the poor from the impact of globalization, The Associated Press reported from Yaoundé.

The pope also called it the duty of all Christians — particularly those with political and economic responsibilities — to contribute to the building of a ‘‘more just world where everyone can live with dignity.’’

Benedict met with President Paul Biya, who has been in power since 1982 and recently was accused by the Amnesty International rights organization of seeking to crush political opposition in Cameroon. No details of the meeting at the presidential palace were immediately given.

From the presidential palace, the pope was driven to Christ the King Church to speak to Cameroon’s 31 bishops and set down their mission.

Benedict said that while the Catholic church in Africa is the fastest growing in the world, it faces competition from increasingly popular evangelical movements and ‘‘the growing influence of superstitious forms of religion.’’

The pope also said that the exuberant local African rites should not ‘‘obstruct’’ the liturgy of the Mass.

He spoke of the needs of the poor. ‘‘In the context of globalization with which we are all familiar, the church takes a particular interest in those who are most deprived,’’ he said. ‘‘The bishop’s mission leads him to be the defender of the rights of the poor.’’

He also expressed concern about the impact of modernity and secularization on the traditional African family, telling the bishops to promote the understanding that marriage is indissoluble.