Pope Benedict XVI says that condom use is acceptable "in certain
cases", notably "to reduce the risk of infection" with HIV, in a book
due out Tuesday, apparently softening his once hardline stance.
In
a series of interviews published in his native German, the 83-year-old
Benedict is asked whether "the Catholic Church is not fundamentally
against the use of condoms."
"It of course does not see it as a real and moral solution," the pope replies.
"In
certain cases, where the intention is to reduce the risk of infection,
it can nevertheless be a first step on the way to another, more humane
sexuality," said the head of the world's 1.1 billion Catholics.
The
new volume, entitled "Light of the World: The Pope, the Church and the
Signs of the Times", is based on 20 hours of interviews conducted by
German journalist Peter Seewald.
Until now, the Vatican had
prohibited the use of any form of contraception -- other than abstinence
-- even as a guard against sexually transmitted disease.
Benedict
sparked international outcry in March 2009 on a visit to AIDS-ravaged
Africa when he told reporters the disease was a tragedy "that cannot be
overcome through the distribution of condoms, which even aggravates the
problems."
To illustrate his apparent shift in position, Benedict offered the example of a male prostitute using a condom.
"There
may be justified individual cases, for example when a male prostitute
uses a condom, where this can be ... a first bit of responsibility, to
re-develop the understanding that not everything is permitted and that
one may not do everything one wishes," Benedict was quoted as saying.
"But it is not the proper way to deal with the horror of HIV infection."
Benedict reiterated that condom use alone would not solve the problem of HIV/AIDS. "More must happen," he said.
"Becoming
simply fixated on the issue of condoms makes sexuality more banal and
exactly this is the reason why so many people no longer find sexuality
to be an expression of their love, but a type of self-administered
drug."
Other than condoms, the book, set to be translated into 18
languages, addresses many other sensitive issues, including the
paedophile priest scandals, celibacy and female ordination.
Concerning
the paedophile scandal that has rocked Benedict's native Germany as
well as other countries around the world, the pope said he was "deeply
shocked" by it.
He also raises the possibility of a "sincere"
dialogue with Islam, adding that a controversial speech he gave on the
subject was an attempt at an academic discourse rather than a political
lecture.
In a September 2006 speech in Regensburg in his native
Bavaria, the pope provoked outrage among sections of the Muslim
community for appearing to question the rational basis of Islam and
associating it with violence.
The new book is the first collection
of interviews with the pontiff since the then cardinal Joseph Ratzinger
became pope in April 2005.
Seewald asked more than 90 questions
on three major themes during conversations conducted July 26-31 at the
pope's summer residence in the Italian town of Castel Gandolfo.
The
pontiff also discusses the case of the Holocaust-denying bishop Roger
Williamson, the danger of a schism in the Church and the possibility of a
Vatican III Council on Church reforms, which has for now been put off.
A
former communist, Seewald became Catholic after meeting Cardinal
Ratzinger, with whom he produced two earlier volumes of interviews.
SIC: AFP/INT'L