Plastic wrapping your bishop

[Noumenon]

According to the BBC News website, the Pope is about to become quotable to the effect that condoms can be permitted under certain circumstances - strange choice of circumstance though.

He said condoms could reduce the risk of HIV infection, such as for a male prostitute [my emphasis...], in a series of interviews given to a German journalist.

So, in the closed context of men (but not women for some reason) having sex for money, condoms are okay, provided you have AIDS. I guess if you're going to hell anyway...

The Pope gives the example of the use of condoms by male prostitutes as "a first step towards moralisation", even though condoms are "not really the way to deal with the evil of HIV infection".

He says that the "sheer fixation on the condom implies a banalisation of sexuality" where sexuality is no longer an expression of love, "but only a sort of drug that people administer to themselves".

"If the intention is to prevent transmission of the virus, rather than prevent contraception, moral theologians would say that was of a different moral order."

I would like (from a strictly theoretical point of view, mind) to see the condom that could filter for disease without getting in the way of the sperm, that would be a really good trick. I guess the Pope would too, because then all those disease-ridden male prostitutes who want to spare their clients the possibility of a terminal infection and help them bring a joyous new life into the world would finally be able to do so.

I'm new here and I can't figure out how to embed url's into text, so here's the link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11804398

 

[SpaceCDT]

Wow . . .
If somebody had said to me yesterday that the Pope would say that frangers are okay - even under certain circumstances only - I would have told them that they where bat - shit - crazy.

 

[Rakomu]

What was the point of the Pope saying this? How many gay prostitutes who weren't using condoms are going to say "ah, well, now that the Pope has said it's okay, I might as well start." :lol: The Catholic church is quite frankly laughable.

 

[borrofburi]

What was the point of the Pope saying this? How many gay prostitutes who weren't using condoms are going to say "ah, well, now that the Pope has said it's okay, I might as well start." :lol: The Catholic church is quite frankly laughable.

Now we can't say "look at the chruch being evil and promoting AIDs in africa"; the Good Catholic will respond "nuh uh, the pope said that it's ok to wear a condom if you're already going to hell".

 

[Rakomu]

The majority of people aren't going to be able to get tested, so how will they know whether they're preventing the conception of a child or preventing the spread of HIV? Also, Africa is not mainly comprised of gay prostitutes! :roll:

 

[RichardMNixon]

To be fair, he did clarify soon after that everyone can use condoms to prevent HIV, not just gay prostitutes.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2010-11-23-pope-condoms_N.htm

Contraception is still a no-no apparently unless there's an HIV risk. Silly, but welcomed I guess.

 

[Pandawa]

To be fair, he did clarify soon after that everyone can use condoms to prevent HIV, not just gay prostitutes.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2010-11-23-pope-condoms_N.htm

Contraception is still a no-no apparently unless there's an HIV risk. Silly, but welcomed I guess.

There is always a risk of HIV no matter where you go, ergo condoms are tacitly OK? makes no sense to say it like this. just say "we were idiots, wrap your tool gents" and get it over with.

 

[monitoradiation]

just say "we were idiots, wrap your tool gents" and get it over with.

Unfortunately the catholic church likes to be centuries behind progress, rather than decades.