Vatican holds ground on condoms

[emad]

HeraldSun
From correspondents in Vatican City
20jan05

THE Vatican held its ground today after Spanish bishops broke a taboo by condoning the use of condoms as a legitimate way of fighting HIV/AIDS, much as it did when French bishops tested papal patience with a similar stance in the 1990s.

The Holy See responded coolly after the general secretary of the Spanish bishops' conference said the prophylactic "has its place in the context of the integral and global prevention of AIDS".
The comments by Reverend Juan Antonio Martinez Camino sent shockwaves through national bishops' conferences elsewhere, and within hours episcopal conferences across Europe were siding with the Vatican line.

While Reverend Camino's comments were seen in Spain as a sea-change in how the Roman Catholic Church views the use of condoms, the Vatican - where Church doctrine is set out - quietly but firmly reiterated the official line, and Catholic leaders elsewhere followed suit.

http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,11994814%255E1702,00.html

[Skidmore]

1. Stuck in the 4th century and proud of it...

What can you say?

[Voltaire99]

4. Heh, nicely put

I guess if they're holding their ground on condoms, that pretty much sinks any hope of tolerance for screwing hookers in nun's gear, too. Damn! ;-)

[havocmom]

2. Headline should read: Vatican holds socks instead of condoms

:shrug:

[Touchdown]

3. What the church forbids, science will circumvent...

Now they're testing "liquid condoms" or microbicidal viris protection. I'm sure the church will eventually ban that too.

http://www.rhtp.org/micro/micro.htm

[noamnety]

5. If the objection is solely based on birth control

Then it seems like the pope should be down with gays using condoms at least.

[Cleita]

6. As usual, when progressive Catholics take a step forward,

the Vatican takes two backwards.