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Loading ...Vatican dismisses criticism of Pope’s HIV views
03.19.2009 9:15am EDT
(Yaounde, Cameroon) The Vatican defended Pope Benedict XVI’s rejection of condoms as a way to stop HIV after international criticism Wednesday that he was weakening the fight against the disease.
France and Germany sharply critiqued Benedict’s declaration that distributing condoms “increases” the AIDS problem. The French foreign ministry said the statement could “endanger public health policies and the imperative to protect human life.”Two German ministers said on Benedict’s first full day as pope in Africa, a continent ravaged by HIV, that it was irresponsible to reject condoms. The U.N. agency charged with fighting AIDS also spoke out in favor of condom use.
Benedict told reporters on his flight Tuesday to Cameroon that a responsible and moral attitude toward sex would help fight the disease.
“You can’t resolve it with the distribution of condoms,” he said. “On the contrary, it increases the problem.”
Benedict’s spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, described the criticism as “echoes caused by some words by the pope on the AIDS problems.”
Lombardi said the church’s “essential principles” in its commitment against AIDS were “education about people’s responsibility in the use of sexuality” and the “essential role of marriage and family.” The Vatican has long rejected the use of all contraception.
Lombardi said in the written statement at the end of the second day of the weeklong papal visit that the church stresses treatment for “the widest number of sick,” and “human and spiritual assistance” to AIDS patients.
The pope met with Cameroon President Paul Biya, one of Africa’s longest-ruling strongmen. Biya has been in power since 1982 and recently was accused by Amnesty International of seeking to crush political opposition.
No details of the meeting at the presidential palace were given. Local churchmen have spoken out against human rights abuses and the newspaper Le Jour carried a front-page interview with Cameroon Cardinal Christian Tumi asking Biya not to run again in 2011.
Crowds were sparse as Benedict was driven through the city in a closed limousine.
He told Cameroon’s 31 bishops that Christians must fight for social justice and urged them to defend the traditional African family from the dangers of modernity and secularization. He also asked them to help protect the poor from the impact of globalization.
Benedict said that while the Catholic church in Africa is the fastest growing in the world, it faces competition from increasingly popular evangelical movements and “the growing influence of superstitious forms of religion.”
The German-born pope also said that exuberant African rites should not “obstruct” the liturgy of the Mass.
He called it the “duty” of Christians – particularly economic and political leaders – “to be guided by the church’s social teaching, in order to contribute to the building up of a more just world where everyone can live with dignity.”
The meeting with the bishops had long been planned for the cathedral in Yaounde, but construction there has not been finished. Lombardi said he was aware of allegations in the local media that the funds set aside were embezzled by clergy, but had no comment.
Benedict flies next to Angola.
The 81-year-old pontiff was holding up well in the torrid West African weather and felt “deeply moved” by the tens of thousands of people who turned out on the streets upon his arrival from Rome, Lombardi said.
Does anyone need any more proof that religion rots the brain?
The pope wants Catholics to watch out for “the growing influence of superstitious forms of religion.”
Is he serious? A pantheon of saints, virgins giving birth, talking burning bushes, and people changing water to wine isn’t superstitious enough?
well of course pope been-a-dick doesn’t want Africans using condoms! That would greatly REDUCE the number of third world jaaaaaaysus loonies. The bushmen for christ would then have to deal with their REAL sexuality. Shame on you pope ratsass!! LMFAO!
Sarrellec,
Keeping those white sheets nice and pressed, huh?
Sincerely,
James
I, for one, completely support the Pope’s position.
Especially in Africa.
Please…all judeo/christian true believers should listen and adhere to the Pope’s advice.
Don’t use condoms. Ever.
Chris Sullivan Said: “What ever will the catholic church do when they run out of third world countries to exploit? When enough of the world’s population is educated enough not to buy into their ridiculous mythologies.”
Pimp out altar boys? Sell billions in stolen artwork and other treasures held in Vatican vaults? Start a meth lab? (they already have experience selling poison)
What ever will the catholic church do when they run out of third world countries to exploit? When enough of the world’s population is educated enough not to buy into their ridiculous mythologies.
The ironic thing here is this: if there is a “fiery depths of hell”, then every leader of the catholic church for the past 1000 years will be the first into the fire. They ARE the anti-christ.
It is so sad that the Catholic Church has such influence in the poorest of the poor nations. Go ahead have a bunch of kids God will provide!!! Pretend that it is possible for people to be 100 % faithful and not have sex before marriage, let alone be celibate. Celibacy is an unnatural state for 99.99 percent of humans. And the others are liars.
Tom in Long Beach
I am so sick of men who put on robes and crowns and think that entitles them to be an authority on all issues. Very irresponsible on the Pope’s part.
What a PERFECT lil’ ol’ shithole for pope ratsass to go visit! LOL! hey maybe he can re-locate Vatican “city” to Nigeria and crown asswipe Akinola his new inquisitor chief! The possibilities are ennnnnnnnndless! LMAO!
“Benedict said that while the Catholic church in Africa is the fastest growing in the world, it faces competition from increasingly popular evangelical movements and “the growing influence of superstitious forms of religion.”
LMAO!!!!!!! I think he meant ANOTHER superstitious form of religion besides Catholicism.
Hahahahahahahaha! “…it faces…the growing influence of superstitious forms of religion.” Hahahahahaha! What the HELL do you think YOUR religion is!!!! What a f@cking idiot!
Of course they brushed off criticisms!
Maledict the Clueless is “in-fraakin’-fallible” (sic) when he speaks on “faith” or “morals.” Condoms definitely falls under the latter.
Never mind the generation of African orphans growing up HIV-positive without father or mother; never mind that something like 22 million Africans are infected; that’s their punishment for (gasp!) having sex, in Maledict’s view.
The world is going to continue to ignore the pronouncements of a “celibate” old man who wears white dresses and red Gucci shoes when he has the arrogance to make pronouncements about REAL peoples’ intimate physical relationships.
The “Church” has a long history of controlling people through the confessional by demonizing their sex lives, if they have sex for any reason other than procreation, and/or use any type of barrier to prevent conception.
How two gay men using a condom prevents conception escapes me, but the “Church” isn’t known for rigorous science … it took them three hundred years to forgive Galileo for telling the truth; anyone who said the Black Death was caused by natural events (fleas on rats) was put to death as a heretic.
The “Church” also has a long, VILE history of oppressing intellectuals,scientists, queers, women, and anybody else who didn’t tow the party line.
MUCH more attention should be paid to the known fact that popes and cardinals took castrati of the famous choirs for lovers, and didn’t consider it sinful, because they were “neither man nor woman.” (!)
The Pooe is a murderer