Pope and Condoms
Pope says male prostitutes could use condoms as first step in their ‘moralisation’
Sexual health charities, politicians and gay rights campaigners have welcomed what appears to be a relaxation in Pope Benedict XVI’s opposition to the use of condoms. In an interview for a book that is due to be published this week, the Pontiff argued that in some cases, the use of condoms can be the first step in the direction of “moralisation” of an individual.
Asked if the Catholic Church is therefore not opposed in principle to the use of condoms, Pope Benedict XVI told the journalist. “She [the Church] of course does not regard it as a real or moral solution, but, in this or that case, there can be nonetheless, in the intention of reducing the risk of infection, a first step in a movement toward a different way, a more human way, of living sexuality.”
“Benedict seems to realise that his unrelenting, blanket opposition to condoms has damaged his own authority and that of the church.”
