On Wednesday, the Dutch government called "extremely harmful" Pope Benedict XVI's comments denouncing condom use as a method of combating AIDS during his first visit to Africa as pontiff.
|
Pope Benedict XVI (ANP photo)
|
"It is extremely harmful and very serious that this Pope is forbidding people from protecting themselves," Development Minister Bert Koenders said in a statement.
He was "truly astonished" to hear of the Pope's remarks, made as he began a week-long visit to Africa on Tuesday, that condoms were aggravating, rather than containing, the continent's rampant AIDS problem.
Stigma
"There is an enormous stigma surrounding the subject of AIDS, and people with AIDS face serious discrimination. The Pope is making matters worse," said Mr Koenders, accusing the pontiff of being "out of touch with reality".
"People should be able to decide for themselves whether to use condoms to protect themselves against infection with the HIV virus."
The Pope told reporters that AIDS was a tragedy "that cannot be overcome through the distribution of condoms, which even aggravates the problems."
The solution lies in a "spiritual and human awakening" and "friendship for those who suffer," he said.
An Expatica.com article in partnership with RNW, sources: AFP/Expatica
Tags:
AIDS,
Bert Koenders,
condoms,
Pope Benedict XVI,
the Netherlands
François,
24-03-2009
- Netherlands.
Chennebury (Canada) the pope celebrates open air mass in front of hundreds of thousands of people without the protection of the pope mobile. There have been popes for 2000yrs without the pope mobile. The pope mobile is ceremonial just like Obama's beast. It doesn't mean his pope mobile is 100% safe. Condoms too are not.
ali,
23-03-2009
- uganda
The pope remarks are supriseful. how could he say dont' use condoms. those who are non muslims contract AIDS because islam furnication and intercourse is forbidden. married couples are allowed to have sex. except from that you are not allowed to have premarital sex. so the only solution is to accept islam not condoms
Chennebury,
22-03-2009
- Canada
I offer this analogy. If Africa (and others) cannot use condoms, the Pope should not use the protection of the pope-mobile's protective barrier either. Certain death in both cases?
Nobleman,
mnguta@wemail.co.za,
21-03-2009
- South Africa
The Pope lives in heaven; in heaven there is no HIV/AIDS and therefore no need to use condoms. He and his other companions in heaven may not use condoms, but we earthly creatures, weak in our flesh, will use condoms. His loony views reinforce the truth that they (the Catholic church) are more committed to the worship of their ideology, not the protection of human life ... and let us therefore not take them serious!
jan,
20-03-2009
- canada
Francois, I did not say one word about the Dark Ages. As as far as "mob psychology", christianity is a mob. Christianity has alligned itself with all the great mobs in recent history or rather the great mobs have joined christianity. Repent! Repent! Repent! You are a joke!
You live in a fantasy world of lies and deceit. [Abbreviated. Ed.]
Moderator's response:
Dear Jan,
Thank you for your reaction. Please don't flame other participants in this discussion.
michael,
20-03-2009
- kenya
BACK UP FOR ALL ESPECIALLY FRANCOISE
A leading AIDS expert from Harvard University has come out in support of comments made by Pope Benedict XVI suggesting that the distribution of contraception actually spreads rather than prevents AIDS.
Edward C. Green, director of the AIDS Prevention Research Project at the Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies, said that research into the spread of AIDS actually supports the position of the Catholic Church and the pope.
"The Pope is correct … the best evidence we have supports the Pope's comments," Green said, according to National Review Online.
"There is a consistent association shown by our best studies, including the US-funded 'demographic health surveys,' between greater availability and use of condoms and higher (not lower) hiv-infection rates," he explained. "This may be due in part to a phenomenon known as risk compensation, meaning that when one uses a risk-reduction 'technology' such as condoms, one often loses the benefit (reduction in risk) by 'compensating' or taking greater chances than one would take without the risk-reduction technology."
During his flight to Cameroon earlier this week, the pope was asked by journalists about the position of the Catholic Church on fighting AIDS in Africa and on the use of contraception.
The pope responded, "I would say that this problem of AIDS cannot be overcome with advertising slogans. If the soul is lacking, if Africans do not help one another, the scourge cannot be resolved by distributing condoms; quite the contrary, we risk worsening the problem.”
The Vatican encourages sexual abstinence to fight against the disease.
There has been speculation that the pope’s language was toned down by the Vatican, after it was initially reported in the press that he said distributing contraception “even aggravates the problem,” rather than simply “risks worsening the problem.”
During his visit to Cameroon, the pope gave a speech praising family values. Today, the head of the Roman Catholic Church is expected to arrive in Angola on the second and final stop of his first visit to Africa as pontiff.
Condoms use has two goals 1) prevent pregnancy and thus its a contraceptive 2) prevent transmission of diseases. The teaching of the Catholic church is that man/woman was created to love, serve and adore the Lord his God and thus attain eternal life. Sexual intercourse is an instrument God created for two reasons 1) procreation- Condoms prevent this from taking place 2) sharing of love (ecstacy) during the procreation process.- The intimacy between those who use condoms is greatly reduced because of the separation between the man's and the woman's sexual organs and also because there is no consequence (procreation) in the intercourse. Thus the end result of the use of condoms is that there is no possibility of procreation and lesser intimacy in love making. Thus condom use results in shallow relationships between men and women. Shallow relationships break easily and the result is looseness in sexual activity. It's a fact that the more one has sexual intercourse the more one wants it. Though condoms use can prevent the spread of diseases on singular occasions the resultant looseness in sexual activity makes someone more vulnerable because of the increased rate of irresponsible sex with different partners. Christian teaching on marriage emphasizes marriage as a means of attaining eternal life through loving the other partner at all times and unconditionally. Since the use of condoms contradict the reason sexual intercourse was created, condom use becomes an obstacle to one attaining eternal life because one uses God's gift badly. Condoms use may make one idolatrize sex. Idolatrizing sex without repentance will lead to lose of eternal life with God. By using condoms sexual intercourse which was created for good use is misused and becomes a tool leading one to the lose of eternal life with God. Pope Benedict XVI is right.
François,
20-03-2009
- Netherlands
Michael and Jan (Jamaica & Canada) what strikes me about you two is that you talk of dark ages and truth but you don't offer any facts to back up your arguments. Instead of saying how condoms work and why teenage pregnancies and abortions continue to rise in the EU, UK & USA despite widespread condom use, you talk of dark ages. I put it to you that you are the ones living in the dark ages because ignorance is truly darkness. I am already aware of what you people preach, lust, lack of discipline, pornography for all, abortion on demand, euthanasia and gay marriage. It is the politically correct position but on closer inspection and scientific analysis you begin to see the cracks of this position. You need to educate yourself and question the status quo. Society keeps changing but the moral law is the same for ever. By the way just because we talk about an institution doesn't mean it becomes a social institution otherwise every institution in this world is a social institution. The greatest sickness in this world is moral depravity which is devoid of compassion, wisdom, the search for knowledge, courage to challenge mob psychology and empathy. My sincere gratitude to Agnes (Ned) and Michael (Kenya) for trying to educate people and bucking the mob psychology.
Mwalimu Bela ,
20-03-2009
- NETHERLANDS
I think we have all come of age in this issue of condoms that turns to dishonour the temple of the Holy Spirit the Human Body. If, for instance, I show you a pretty lady that has the HIV virus and I give you condoms to go have sex with her with possible payments. How many of us will go for it???. This is to show us that condoms are not the solution to this issue and unless we begin to comprehend the message of the Holy Father we shall keep on chasing the wind.
Mr. Publisher I have spoken.
Jan,
20-03-2009
- canada
To Michale in Kenya, the old "repentance" cop-out. You can do anything no matter how vile and still repent. I bet you we would find condoms in the Vatican.
Michael,
20-03-2009
- Jamaica
It just goes to how that many of the Catholic minds have not left the Dark Ages!
François,
20-03-2009
- Netherlands
Yet more info on condom facts. Lets get rid of the ignorance. Read pple read before you criticise. http://www.hli.org/condom_facts_sheet_failure.html
http://www.hli.org/condom_facts.html
http://www.hli.org/condoms.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIV/AIDS_in_Uganda
http://data.unaids.org/pub/EPISlides/2007/2007_epiupdate_en.pdf
In addition to HIV/AIDS people can contract other sexually transmitted diseases such as HPV (Human Papilloma Virus) which has no cure and leads to cervical cancer in women. Condoms cannot prevent HPV because it is spread by skin to skin contact around the pelvic region. Be careful with liberal information about sexuality. Listen and respect the pope he only wants whats best for people.
François,
19-03-2009
- Netherlands.
Those who doubt the popes judgement please read this article in the East African titled "UNAIDS and myth of condoms efficacy against AIDS" posted on 7th of february 2009 by Curtis Abraham.
http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/-/2558/525956/-/rku48lz/-/index.html
This shows that the politics of the western liberals are ignoring scientific evidence that shows condoms are not the answer.
michael,
19-03-2009
- Kenya
Condoms use has two goals 1) prevent pregnancy and thus its a contraceptive 2) prevent transmission of diseases. The teaching of the Catholic church is that man/woman was created to love, serve and adore the Lord his God and thus attain eternal life. Sexual intercourse is an instrument God created for two reasons 1) procreation- Condoms prevent this from taking place 2) sharing of love (ecstacy) during the procreation process.- The intimacy between those who use condoms is greatly reduced because of the separation between the man's and the woman's sexual organs and also because there is no consequence in the intercourse. Thus the end result of the use of condoms no possibility of procreation and less intimacy in love. This results in shallow relationships between men and women. Shallow relationships break easily and the result is looseness in sexual activity. Christian teaching emphasizes marriage as a means of attaining eternal life through loving the other partner at all times and unconditionally. Since the use of condoms prohibit the reason sexual intercourse was created it becomes an obstacle to one attaining eternal life because one uses God's gift badly. Though condoms use can prevent the spread of diseases it may make one idolatrize sex. Idolatrizing sex without repentance will lead to lose of eternal life with God. Here sexual intercourse which was created for good use is misused and becomes a tool leading one to lose of eternal life with God. Pope BenedictXVI is right.
Vera Gottlieb,
19-03-2009
- Germany
The Vatican and its "phallic" obsessions.
Jan,
19-03-2009
- canada
Francois, people do argue with engineers and doctors when they suggest a course of designs or treatments. Maybe you don't, but then you don't argue with the pope either do you..
You can hardly call the catholic church a "moral institution and not a social institution." It is most definately an "Immoral" Institution based on its disgusting past, present and no doubt future. Learn the Truth man.. And of course it is a social institution, if it wasn't you and I would not be writing about it. Stop being a blowhard, learn the truth about these power hungry perverts and free yourself from your life of sickness. It is time that you wake up.
