Church retracts consent for condoms

[emad]

Telegraph
By Isambard Wilkinson, Madrid Correspondent
(Filed: 21/01/2005)

The Spanish Catholic Church has retracted a declaration permitting use of condoms to prevent the transmission of Aids after a swift reprimand from the Vatican.

On Tuesday, in a fundamental shift of policy, Juan Antonio Martinez Camino, the spokesman for Spain's Conference of Catholic Bishops, said condoms could be used as part of the global effort to prevent Aids.

The Vatican, however, quickly stepped in to set the record straight.

"The use of prophylactics is unacceptable even as a solution to the problem of Aids, because the objective is the fight against fornication," said Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan, the Vatican's health secretary, in an interview published yesterday by the Italian newspaper, La Repubblica.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;sessionid=AN3O4PAUPPAC3QFIQMFSM54AVCBQ0JVC?xml=/news/2005/01/21/wcond21.xml&sSheet=/news/2005/01/21/ixworld.html&secureRefresh=true&_requestid=97675

[Gman]

1. It's 1950 all over again

Next they'll bring up birth control pills again.

[gratuitous]

2. Whew! That was close

Almost started to disregard accepted dogma in favor of saving actual people's lives, and we can't have that!

Didn't Jesus have some hard words for religious leaders who were in deeper thrall to dead letter traditions than to the well-being of the people they were supposed to be leading? I'm almost sure he did.

[atommom]

3. So, if people respond to the strong biological drive to "fornicate,"

they (and their children) deserve to die? I don't see how the church can ever win the fight against basic human instincts. The best they can do is instill fear and guilt ... and cause unnecessary suffering and death along the way.

[Supersedeas]

15. biology is only recognized when identifying marital partners.

[jdj]

17. the vatican just thinks if they stick with choir boys then

no harm, no foul, no AIDS.

[Ripley]

4. The fight against fornication is more important that death?

What priorities they have. Why must they keep pushing their screwed up view of the world onto others?

Oh wait, now I'll be called a Catholic-basher. No. I just don't think women should be FORCED to be pregnant all the time according to some men who live "celebate" yeah right, lives.

[moobu2]

8. you mean before condoms people didn't fornicate? N/T

[PassingFair]

5. Horribly, everyone now

..expects the Spanish Inquisition!

[gordianot]

6. Laugh of the day.

At least this time they rejected situational ethics even though they attempted to respond to a logical need with a viable solution.

[muriel_volestrangler]

7. Catholics always pull out at the last minute (n/t)

[fob]

9. Premature proclamation?

[KingoftheJungle]

25. you guys are too funny

[UL_Approved]

10. Why the big push against technology in the fight against AIDS?

What has caused this rash outbreak of anti-infection devices? Why are they so hell bent on stopping condoms?

[Nihil]

12. ROFL!

> ... rash outbreak of anti-infection devices ...

This is too much for a Friday afternoon!

[UL_Approved]

23. No pun intended

I guess I had a Freudian slip...:evilgrin:

[arwalden]

14. Their Policies Are Backward, Regressive, Uninformed... Just Plain STOOPID!

Just look how long it took for the church to admit that Galileo was right. Maybe one day... in about 500 years, in 2505, they'll update their policies to reach a 1950's mentality.

It's truly sad. Just think, with one simple sentence, the Pope could help to eliminate the suffering of MILLIONS even BILLIONS of people by preventing the spread of disease and preventing the birth of children who are destined to STARVE to death.

By permitting condom use, they aren't CONDONING "fornication"... they can still fight it... but a little COMMON SENSE would tell them that they are LOSING the fight (right now) and in the meantime, they could be helping to stem the population growth and spreading of deadly disease.

They are truly INSANE... or just plain CRUEL.

[Nihil]

11. Surely that should be "withdraws" ... ?

Or was that lost in translation from the Italian?

"Honest my darling, I will retract before it is too late!"

[Stuckinthebush]

13. Ah, yes...

Once again religion shows that it is an enemy of knowledge.

[jdj]

16. "The fight against fornication"???

what are we trying to do, out-muslim the muslim fundies or something?

[American Tragedy]

18. I strongly question how many Catholics actually follow this doctrine

[AngryOldDem]

19. Most don't n/t

[mutus_frutex]

20. And that's why I say they are a bunch of hypocrites.. nt

[AngryOldDem]

24. Not the people in the pews

who are following their consciences.

You'll hear the hue and cry about condoms coming mainly from the hierarchy, and maybe some in the pews. But the majority have been quietly ignoring the Church on this issue, even before the ink on Humanae Vitae was dry. But one bishop, South Africa's Kevin Dowling, has been outspoken for a few years now about the importance of condoms in fighting AIDS, and I don't think he is going to go away any time soon.

But yeah, Catholics are a bunch of hypocrites, and whatever other perjorative term you want to throw at us. We've heard it all before.

[mutus_frutex]

26. Well, I don't want to be mean, but

They too are hypocrites. If they were really following their conscience they would fight the policies of the church or leave it. When they stay they simply validate the position of the Vatican.

If this were a minor matter, but it's huge. It has a very big effect on the rest of the world.

Cheers..

[w4rma]

21. Every Sperm is Sacred!

"Every Sperm Is Sacred", Lyrics by Michael Palin and Terry Jones.

There are Jews in the world, there are Buddists,
There are Hindus and Mormons and then
There are those that follow Mohammad, but
I've never been one of them.

I'm a Roman Catholic,
And have been since before I was born,
And the one thing they say about Catholics is
They'll take you as soon as you're warm.

You don't have to be a six footer,
You don't have to have a great brain,
You don't have to have any clothes on,
You're a Catholic the moment Dad came, because

Every sperm is sacred,
Every sperm is great,
If a sperm is wasted,
God gets quite irate.

Every sperm is sacred,
Every sperm is great,
If a sperm is wasted,
God gets quite irate.

Let the heathen spill theirs,
On the dusty ground,
God shall make them pay for
Each sperm that can't be found.

Every sperm is wanted,
Every sperm is good,
Every sperm is needed,
In your neighborhood.

Hindu, Taoist, Morman,
Spill theirs just anywhere,
But God loves those who treat their
Semen with more care.

Every sperm is sacred,
Every sperm is great,
If a sperm is wasted,
God gets quite irate.

Every sperm is sacred,
Every sperm is good,
Every sperm is needed,
In your neighborhood.

Every sperm is useful,
Every sperm is fine,
God needs everybody's,
Mine, and mine, and mine.

Let the pagans spill theirs,
O'er mountain, hill and plain.
God shall strike them down for
Each sperm that's spilt in vain.

Every sperm is sacred,
Every sperm is good,
Every sperm is needed,
In your neighborhood.

Every sperm is sacred,
Every sperm is great,
If a sperm is wasted,
God gets quite irate.
http://www.mwscomp.com/sound.html

[Octafish]

22. Premature Impramatur.

Or would it be trojanicus interuptus?