Africa, AIDS and the Pope

Posted by Helen on: 03.18.2009 /

I’m not against religion per se, but I am against religious beliefs that are harmful to people.

I would definitely put the Pope’s belief-based ban on condom use in that category, especially in countries hit hard by AIDS and HIV. He might allow married couples to use condoms when one of them has AIDS but he’s not even sure about that. He’s assembled a council to discuss the issue. From CNN

Pope visits Africa, reaffirms ban on condoms

Pope Benedict XVI refused Wednesday to soften the Vatican’s ban on condom use as he arrived in Africa for his first visit to the continent as pope.

He landed in Cameroon, the first stop on a trip that will also take him to Angola.

Sub-Saharan Africa has been hit harder by AIDS and HIV than any other region of the world, according to the United Nations and World Health Organization. There has been fierce debate between those who advocate the use of condoms to help stop the spread of the epidemic and those who oppose it.

The pontiff reiterated the Vatican’s policy on condom use as he flew from Rome to Yaounde, the capital of Cameroon, CNN Vatican analyst John Allen said.

Pope Benedict has always made it clear he intends to uphold the traditional Catholic teaching on artificial contraception — a “clear moral prohibition” — Allen said. But his remarks Tuesday were among the first times he stated the policy explicitly since he became pope nearly four years ago.

He has, however, assembled a panel of scientists and theologians to consider the narrow question of whether to allow condoms for married couples, one of whom has HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

It is still not clear how the pope will rule on the matter, said Allen, who is also a senior correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter.

The Catholic Church has long been on the front line of HIV care, he said, adding that it is probably the largest private provider of HIV care in the world.

Read the rest of the article

Even if the Catholic Church is the largest private provider of HIV care in the world, that doesn’t make up for teachings that if followed, surely contribute to more people getting HIV.

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8 Responses to "Africa, AIDS and the Pope"

  • Comment by: truth

    1 03/18/09 11:26 AM | Comment Link |

    I dont like this pope…I am catholic, but i think he is full of shit…..Africa has the highest rate of HIV/AIDS in the whole world, and he still supporting a ban on condoms…who care what he has to say. it is so unrealistic to expect people not to have sex, and if they do, they are not going to use condoms because the pope said so…Man, forget this guy. wasnt he a Nazi anyway…goosh

  • Comment by: Lee Oates

    2 03/18/09 11:32 AM | Comment Link |

    The pope is a complete idiot. It only supports “The God Delusion” by Richard Dawkins.

  • Comment by: Helen

    3 03/18/09 11:35 AM | Comment Link |

    Thanks for your comment, truth.

    I agree that he’s being very unrealistic. I suppose people won’t listen to him - I hope they won’t because it seems awful to think that sexually active people who do will be unnecessarily setting aside a simple way to protect themselves against HIV.

    I suppose he also preaches it’s morally wrong to be sexually active unless you’re married, and if they listened to that part too they wouldn’t be putting themselves in danger. So it’s not as if he’s saying to unmarried people, go engage in activities that spread the HIV virus.

    However it seems inexcusable that in the realm where he doesn’t think sexual activity is wrong - marriage - he’s not sure it’s ok to use a condom to protect against catching HIV from one’s spouse.

  • Comment by: David H

    4 03/18/09 11:52 AM | Comment Link |

    Following is a commentary on this issue that resonated with me. Original text can be found here.

    Editor’s note: A nationally syndicated columnist, Roland S. Martin is the author of “Listening to the Spirit Within: 50 Perspectives on Faith” and “Speak, Brother! A Black Man’s View of America.” Visit his Web site for more information.

    (CNN) — The African-American religious community deserves considerable praise for taking leadership of the civil rights movement during the first half of the 20th century.

    But there is no doubt that toward the end of the 20th century, the black church, primarily because of its opposition to homosexuality, has abdicated its responsibility and totally disregarded the human toll that HIV/AIDS has had on the members it largely serves. It only has been recently that pastors have opted not to turn a blind eye to what is clearly a state of emergency.

    Unfortunately, we are seeing the same kind of ignorance of reality from the Catholic Church and its leader, Pope Benedict XVI.

    The church has long been opposed to the use of condoms and other forms of birth control because it strongly believes that sex is for procreation and enriching the union of a married couple. But for the church to continue to ignore the definitive research that condoms play a huge role in decreasing the spread of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases is mind-boggling.

    Pope Benedict is in Africa this week on a six-day tour, his first since his ascension to the papacy, and he made some remarks that have sparked outrage in the motherland, where Catholicism is spreading like wildfire.

    In response to written questions from reporters, the pope said this about HIV/AIDS: “You can’t resolve it with the distribution of condoms. On the contrary, it increases the problem.”
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    He is absolutely correct that condoms are not the solution to stopping the spread of HIV/AIDS. He is also 100 percent correct that the only surefire way of stopping HIV/AIDS, when it comes to sex, is to practice abstinence. That is clearly within the teachings of the Bible and the Catholic Church, and he will find no disagreement from me.

    Now the reality.

    People are having sex. Catholics are having sex. Heck, some Catholic priests have abandoned their oath and have had sex.

    As a layman and the husband of a pastor, I know the difference between utopia and reality, and it is the responsibility of the faith community to deal with the real world.

    And frankly, Pope Benedict clearly shows he doesn’t get it.

    What we need today are our church leaders preaching, teaching and imploring their members not to go to bed with anyone and everyone. We also need church leaders who are willing to stand up and tell folks that if they do choose to sin — that’s what the church and other faith leaders consider sex outside of marriage — then you had better take the necessary precautions to protect yourself.

    Folks, there is nothing in the Bible about wearing a seat belt. But it would be foolish of any pastor not to tell his or her members to use the safety device when driving. Churches all across the country trust and love their fellow members, but you can bet that an accountant is employed by many churches to ensure that no one is stealing the tithes and offerings.

    Pope Benedict surely loves God and sees him as his protector and provider, but he goes nowhere without armed bodyguards. The pope has to know that murder is against God’s will. He has to believe that every person has the choice to be a moral and upstanding person. Yet not everyone abides by those religious views, and his security is there to prevent him from being harmed.

    So how are condoms any different?

    While Catholicism expands on the continent of Africa, we are seeing the expansion of HIV/AIDS as well. Sub-Saharan Africa has 22 million people infected with HIV.

    The refusal of the Catholic Church and other religious denominations to accept the reality of the situation on the ground is doing nothing for the issue. If the church used its powerful voice — while continuing to speak out against sex outside of marriage — to also implore people to practice safe sex, it could have a major impact on slowing the spread of the disease.

    This is one time where silence is not golden.

  • Comment by: Helen

    5 03/19/09 5:59 AM | Comment Link |

    Thanks for that commentary, David.

    I was pleased to read this

    Pope’s condom stance sparks row

    Several EU states have criticised Pope Benedict for saying that the use of condoms could endanger public health and increase the problem of HIV/Aids.

    read more

  • Comment by: Jim J

    6 03/19/09 11:01 AM | Comment Link |

    I always thought the ban on condoms to be a misinterpretation of Onan’s demise in Genesis 38. However, any condemnation should be tempered by the fact that the Catholic church is a great provider of charity.

  • Comment by: Helen

    7 03/19/09 3:15 PM | Comment Link |

    Jim J wrote:

    any condemnation should be tempered by the fact that the Catholic church is a great provider of charity.

    It’s good they provide charity but I don’t see why that should stop people speaking out if they think something else the Catholic Church is doing is wrong. We should praise what’s good and condemn what isn’t, shouldn’t we? That seems like the right approach to me.

  • Comment by: Jim J

    8 03/19/09 3:51 PM | Comment Link |

    Agreed. I was referring to the over-the-top comments, not criticism.