Thursday, December 09, 2010

7 Vatican Stances On Condoms Throughout History

Condoms are not the Pope’s favorite subject. 

It wasn’t until year four of Benedict XVI’s reign that the Holy Father formerly known as Joseph Ratzinger even managed to string the syllables con and dom together in public. 

So you got to give him credit for recently throwing his hat (glamorously known as the papal tiara) into the eternal religious debate over contraception.

As quoted by author Peter Seewald, whose book-length interview Light of the Day came out last week, Benedict XVI says, “There may be a basis in the case of some individuals” for the use of condoms, as it may represent “a first step in the direction of a moralization.” 

So how did the holy war that continues to test the durability of rubber against fire and brimstone begin, and what sort of wacky path has it taken? 

Here are seven major moments in the history of condoms versus the Catholic Church.

1400 B.C. – The Book of Genesis forbids artificial contraception
 
In the beginning, God said contraceptive sex was evil. In both instances where contraception is mentioned in the Bible, it’s condemned. But if that’s too dubious for you, then we’ll stick to historical figures: one of the original Fathers of the Church, Clement of Alexandria, wrote that “the seed is not to be vainly ejaculated, nor is it to be damaged, nor is it to be wasted.” Least we can take this guy’s stance on spitting vs. swallowing to the bank.

December 1984 – Pope John Paul II reinforces the ban on contraception
 
A seminal moment that set the stage for a new era of Holy Grinchdom. Six years into his term as Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church, Pope John Paul II let it be known that the Vatican had no intention of easing up on birth control. 

In a series of lectures given in the Holy City, the Pope declared that artificial contraception is “harmful to man’s interior spiritual culture” and that the ban has been “reaffirmed with new vigor.” In other words, this guy wasn’t budging.

October 2003- Vatican claims condoms don’t stop AIDS
 
The Church’s attitude toward contraception has always been complicated by a third party: the AIDS virus. 

But things turned downright sinister in 2003, when it was discovered that the Vatican was telling AIDS-stricken Third World countries that condoms did NOT, in fact, prevent the spread of the disease, and that the virus could easily permeate the condom barrier.

Jan 2005- Amidst debate within church, John Paul II puts foot down (again)
 
Hope for modernization sprang eternal in early 2005 when prominent figures in the Catholic Church opened up a debate on whether the use of condoms could be justified in the battle against HIV/AIDS. 

Church representatives even mentioned that priests working in the field might advise the use of condoms to especially vulnerable people. 

Alas, the Pope still insisted that they be forbidden. This apparent contradiction was best summed up by Monsignor Angel Rodriguez Luno, who noted, “The problem is that anytime we try to give a nuanced response, we see headlines that say, ‘Vatican approves condoms.’ ”

April 2006 – Pope Benedict XVI calls for inquiry into church’s ban on condoms
 
Less than a year after succeeding John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI called for a report on whether condom use might be acceptable between married couples when one partner is infected with AIDS.  

This rethink came at the strong urging of the Pope’s Health Minister, and also answered the call of health organizations long-critical of the Vatican’s stubborn and dangerous views. Although only reconsidering one specific scenario, this inquiry was still viewed as a significant shift.

March 2009 – Pope Benedict says condom use actually worsens AIDS crisis
 
This one’s a doozy. On the first day of Pope Benedict’s week-long trip to Africa, the Head of the Catholic Church declared that condoms are not only an ineffective tool in overcoming AIDS, but actually “aggravate the problem.” 

Organizations across Europe took out their pitchforks in response to the papal silliness, remarking that the Pope was out of touch and even contributing to the problem. 

The Pope’s statements were particularly dangerous because of the growing number of Africans converting to Roman Catholicism.

November 2010 – Pope says condom use OK in certain cases
 
And that brings us to present day. 

Little more than a year after publicly stating that condoms worsen the AIDS epidemic, Pope Benedict XVI suggested that condoms might be deemed acceptable in certain cases. 

Specifically, those where a person is taking responsibility for the lives of others. Benedict’s dense, murky response included the notion that using a condom may be a step toward understanding that “one cannot do whatever one wants.” 

But of course, one can say whatever one wants. 

Right?

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