Vatican & Condoms

[Valeoz]

I took this from another forum. Thought it was funny, interesting, and made me mad... because rubber/latex is evil.
---

Vatican is now reconsidering the condom ban. It seems that they discovered that there are no:

...small holes in condoms so that the virus goes through...

The Roman Catholic Church might ease its longstanding opposition to the use of condoms to prevent AIDS, a senior church official says.
In comments published Sunday by la Repubblica, Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan said Pope Benedict had asked him to study the issue. Barragan heads up the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Health Pastoral Care.
"This is a very difficult and delicate subject that requires prudence," said Barragan, according to a Reuters report.

http://www.cbc.ca/storyview/MSN/world/national/2006/04/24/vatican-condoms.html

Well, better late then never but for hundreds of thousand of people that fell prey to the missionaries spreading the "good word" about contraception it is indeed too late. The Catholic Church has played a woefully significant part in the AIDS epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa and that is a fact beyond remedy.

The lies:

Cardinal Alfonso Lopez Trujillo, said: "The Aids virus is roughly 450 times smaller than the spermatozoon. The spermatozoon can easily pass through the 'net' that is formed by the condom".
"These margins of uncertainty... should represent an obligation on the part of the health ministries and all these campaigns to act in the same way as they do with regard to cigarettes, which they state to be a danger."

The archbishop of Nairobi, Raphael Ndingi Nzeki, said: "Aids... has grown so fast because of the availability of condoms."

A Catholic nun even advising her HIV-infected choirmaster against using condoms with his wife because "the virus can pass through".

In Lwak, near Lake Victoria, the director of an Aids testing centre says he cannot distribute condoms because of church opposition. Gordon Wambi told the programme: "Some priests have even been saying that condoms are laced with HIV/Aids."

The facts:

The WHO has condemned the Vatican's views, saying: "These incorrect statements about condoms and HIV are dangerous when we are facing a global pandemic which has already killed more than 20 million people, and currently affects at least 42 million."

The organisation says "consistent and correct" condom use reduces the risk of HIV infection by 90%. There may be breakage or slippage of condoms - but not, the WHO says, holes through which the virus can pass .

Scientific research by a group including the US National Institutes of Health and the WHO found "intact condoms... are essentially impermeable to particles the size of STD pathogens including the smallest sexually transmitted virus... condoms provide a highly effective barrier to transmission of particles of similar size to those of the smallest STD viruses".

http://www.guardian.co.uk/aids/story/0,7369,1059068,00.html
---
Let's see what the Vatican will discover next. Is it time to start putting limitations on the Church?

 

[The.Menace]

They actually changed their opinion on condoms and that is a start, i'm happy they did but ther's still a long way 2 go.

 

[Valeoz]

^^
Don't you think it's too late for that? They helped push the AIDS epidemic in Africa and no matter how long they go they cannot take that back.

The real question is: Should the Church be allowed to do something like this?

 

[Shahin]

^^
Don't you think it's too late for that? They helped push the AIDS epidemic in Africa and no matter how long they go they cannot take that back.

The real question is: Should the Church be allowed to do something like this?

IMO, no they shouldn't. Their role should be to interpret scripture and provide spiritual guidance, not decide what is right or wrong based on their own, non-related opinions.

 

[_carmi]

condoms = health
prevents aids.

they should have allowed it years ago. its sorry to see how church is still thinking like 50 years ago. they really need to get refreshed.

 

[The.Menace]

Don't you think it's too late for that? They helped push the AIDS epidemic in Africa and no matter how long they go they cannot take that back.

Well of course it's late, but too late - I don't know. You can't be too late with something like that, cause what would be the otehr option (if not change your mind) - right, preach the same old bullshit that would lead to more AIDS. So now, it's not too late. It's about time.

 

[XIAN]

JP II and Benedict have both been stubborn on this and this is at least a good sign because although the ones at the top may disagree with condom use, the Church is the biggest institution in the world and there are so many different sects with so many different opinions. I went to Catholic school for 12 years and as we got older they taught us about how to use condoms and even gave them out. This is good though because they do have a lot of influence in Africa, I just hope the people accept them quickly as possible.