Pope Condemns Condoms

The outbreak of HIV/AIDS in Africa has become an epidemic. The health organizations working in Africa have been trying to curb the spread of this disease by spreading awareness of the benefits of using condoms. However, recently their efforts have hit a bit of a snag; the words of the Pope.

Pope Benedict XVI stated to reporters, according to various media, that we "cannot be overcome through the distribution of condoms, which even aggravates the problems."

It is common knowledge that using condoms can help to prevent the spread of certain sexually transmitted diseases, one of which is HIV/AIDS. It is also understood that condoms are not the perfect cure either. The best way to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS is to never come into contact with bodily fluids that carry the disease, which essentially means living in a bubble. However, this is extremely impractical.

The Pope is correct that abstinence is the best prevention for the sexually transmitted form of HIV/AIDS. If you don't have sex, you cannot get an STD. However, there are a few things the Pope forgot to consider in his assertion.

First, he forgot that the people of the world tend to listen to him whether they are Catholic or not. Some people, whether they believe in Catholicism or not, hear not the words of a man, but the words of a person transcending man. His thoughts are supposed to be above the foibles of human kind. This is faulty reasoning but still the way his words are perceived by many. For this reason, he really should have thought about all the connotations of his words before he spoke. These people will not hear "abstinence is best." They will hear what he said, "condoms...aggravate the problem." In other words, they will hear that somehow condoms spread the disease faster.

Second, he forgot that not everyone is Catholic. There are several Catholics who have trouble following the tenets laid down by the Church, which is why there is confession. If the followers of a religion do not always abide by its rules, what makes the Pope think people, who do not have the same mores, would suddenly drop their traditions just because he said something was wrong.

Finally, he failed to consider all of the people who already have HIV/AIDS. Abstinence is great, but people will not abstain forever. If a person who had AIDS gets married, are they supposed to never consummate? If they follow what Pope Benedict XVI says, they will never have this kind of intimacy with a spouse, because the disease will spread, nor will they use condoms to prevent the spread of AIDS because the Pope says condoms do not help.

Overall, I understand that the Pope was trying to spread the ideals that abstinence is the best solution. However, what he said and what he meant are two entirely different things. He really needs to stop and make sure that the words he speaks mean what he thinks they do because his words have power and people are listening.

Source: RTE News, Pope Denounces Condom Use in AIDS Fight, RTE News