Pope Benedict XVI says that condom use was acceptable “in certain cases,” notably “to reduce the risk of infection” from HIV, in a book due out tomorrow, apparently softening his once hardline stance.
In a series of interviews published in his native German, Benedict, 83, was asked whether “the Catholic Church is not fundamentally against the use of condoms.”
“It of course does not see it as a real and moral solution,” the pope said.
“In certain cases, where the intention is to reduce the risk of infection, it can nevertheless be a first step on the way to another, more humane sexuality,” the head of the world’s 1.1 billion Catholics said.
The new volume, entitled Light of the World: The Pope, the Church and the Signs of the Times, was based on 20 hours of interviews conducted by German journalist Peter Seewald.
Until now, the Vatican had prohibited the use of any form of contraception — other than abstinence — even as a guard against sexually transmitted disease.
Benedict sparked international outcry in March last year on a visit to AIDS-ravaged Africa when he told reporters the disease was a tragedy “that cannot be overcome through the distribution of condoms, which even aggravates the problems.”
To illustrate his apparent shift in position, Benedict offered the example of a male prostitute using a condom.
“There may be justified individual cases, for example when a male prostitute uses a condom, where this can be ... a first bit of responsibility, to re-develop the understanding that not everything is permitted and that one may not do everything one wishes,” Benedict was quoted as saying. “But it is not the proper way to deal with the horror of HIV infection.”
Benedict reiterated that condom use alone would not solve the problem of HIV/AIDS.
“More must happen,” he said. “Becoming simply fixated on the issue of condoms makes sexuality more banal and exactly this is the reason why so many people no longer find sexuality to be an expression of their love, but a type of self-administered drug.”
Other than condoms, the book, set to be translated into 18 languages, addresses many other sensitive issues, including the pedophile priest scandals, celibacy and female ordination.
Concerning the pedophile scandal that has rocked Benedict’s native Germany as well as other countries around the world, the pope said he was “deeply shocked” by it.
The new book is the first collection of interviews with the pontiff since he became pope in April 2005.
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