Roman Catholic Church and AIDS
Encyclopedia
Issues surrounding the Catholic Church and AIDS
have become controversial in the past twenty years, primarily because many prominent religious leaders have publicly declared their opposition to the use of condoms for contraception or disease prevention. Many health workers and even some religious figures feel they are currently the only means to stop the epidemic. Other issues involve religious participation in global health care services and collaboration with secular organizations such as UNAIDS and the World Health Organization
. Catholic organisations like Caritas
already perform extensive social and educational work relating to AIDS, as for example the provision of services to 14,000 AIDS orphan
s in Namibia
.http://www.caritas.org/activities/hiv_aids/index.html
Available data indicates that condom use is very important to decreasing the risk of STD transmission, but also that teaching people in an abstinence-only style does not work (see the criticism section below).
of the 1960s precipitated Pope Paul VI
's 1968 encyclical Humanae Vitae
(On Human Life) which rejected the use of contraception
, including sterilization, asserting that these work against the intimate relationship and moral order of husband and wife by directly opposing God's will. It approved Natural Family Planning
as a legitimate means to limit family size. The assertion of Papal authority on this issue was an unusual departure from Conciliar
authority which was the normal process of the Church Councils such as Vatican II.
While condoms might serve as an effective barrier to the transmission of HIV, condoms also impermissibly impede the procreative aspect of the sexual act which is understood by the Church to have a deeply theological meaning
. As such, their use is forbidden. Theology aside, Church officials deny that their teaching against condom use is followed by those same people who flout Church teaching on illicit sexual activity, such as its absolute condemnation of anal intercourse between men.
A common position of Church leaders is that officially permitting condom use as a method of preventing disease could be interpreted as permitting fornication, which degrades and debases sex.
", focusing on partner fidelity rather than the use of condoms as the primary means of preventing the transmission of AIDS. The Church's position is that all responsible sex must occur within the framework of a faithful, monogamous relationship. In addition, various members of the Church hierarchy have pointed out that condoms have a non-zero risk of transmitting AIDS.
Church officials argue that reliance on condoms to prevent transmission of AIDS can result in a false sense of security because of the problem of "leakage and breakage". Other more serious claims have been made, however. In 2003, contrary to empirical evidence, the president of the Vatican's Pontifical Council for the Family
- "senior spokesman" Cardinal Alfonso Lopez Trujillo - claimed that condoms are permeable to the aids virus. He explained to BBC interviewers that "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 false claims were echoed by an archbishop of Nairobi, as well as by Catholics as far Asia and Latin America. Also according to The Guardian
, the BBC confirmed that this misinformation has real, damaging effects at the ground level.
The Church is concerned that promotion of condom use will lead to irresponsible, risky sexual behavior (promiscuity and prostitution). Both individuals and governments could come to rely on condoms as the primary line of defense rather than emphasizing the need for "partner fidelity".
activists, who said that it led to countless deaths and millions of AIDS
orphan
s. Critics have also claimed that large families are caused by lack of contraception and exacerbate Third World
poverty and problems such as street children
in South America.
On 15 November 1989, John Paul II addressed the 4th International Conference of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Health Care Workers
in the following terms : it seems profoundly damaging to the dignity of the human being, and for this reason morally illicit, to support a prevention of AIDS that is based on a recourse to means and remedies that violate an authentically human sense of sexuality, and which are a palliative to the deeper suffering which involve the responsibility of individuals and of society. This was interpreted in May 1990 by the Roman Catholic bishops of Madagascar
as a "solemn reminder" giving ground for their view that in the context of positions such as that of cardinal Lustiger who stated that it was a "lesser evil", "the condom remains a 'moral evil'".
In September 1990, John Paul II visited the small town of Mwanza
, in northern Tanzania
, and gave a speech that many believe set the tone for the AIDS crisis in Africa. Being unequivocal, he told his audience that condoms were a sin in any circumstances. He lauded family values and praised fidelity and abstinence as the only true ways to combat the disease.
In December 1995, the Pontifical Council for the Family
issued guidelines saying that parents must also reject the promotion of so-called "safe sex" or "safer sex", a dangerous and immoral policy based on the deluded theory that the condom can provide adequate protection against AIDS.
s to prevent AIDS
sparked an intervention from Rome. The Church in 1968 had already stated in Humanae Vitae
that chemical and barrier methods of contraception went against Church teachings. The debate was over the different issue of whether or not condoms could be used, not as contraceptives, but as a means of preventing the spread of HIV
/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. In 1987, the U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
issued a document suggesting that education on the use of condoms could be an acceptable part of an anti-AIDS program.
In response, Cardinal Ratzinger stated that such an approach "would result in at least the facilitation of evil" – not merely its toleration. For the full text of the letter, see: On "The Many Faces of AIDS" (See also Karol Wojtyla's Love and Responsibility
). Critics argue that Ratzinger's approach would lead to increases in the frequency of HIV/AIDS infections, while many Catholics dispute this and emphasize the value of faithful relationships or chastity
, as it is scientifically impossible to contract the disorder without having sex with an infected person, unless via some other means such as a blood transfusion or sharing a needle.
In 2005, the Pope listed several ways to combat the spread of HIV, including chastity, fidelity in marriage and anti-poverty efforts; he also rejected the use of condoms.
In March 2009, the Pope was sharply criticized after he stated that “if there is no human dimension, if Africans do not help [by responsible behaviour], the problem cannot be overcome by the distribution of prophylactics: on the contrary, they increase it" and reiterated his view that "the solution must have two elements: firstly, bringing out the human dimension of sexuality, that is to say a spiritual and human renewal that would bring with it a new way of behaving towards others, and secondly, true friendship offered above all to those who are suffering, a willingness to make sacrifices and to practise self-denial, to be alongside the suffering.” In that same month, a senior research scientist at the Harvard School of Public Health
, Mr. Edward C. Green, penned an article entitled "The Pope May Be Right" in which he stated that while "in theory, condom promotions ought to work everywhere...that's not what the research in Africa shows." The writer also indicated that strategies that worked in Africa were "Strategies that break up these multiple and concurrent sexual networks -- or, in plain language, faithful mutual monogamy or at least reduction in numbers of partners, especially concurrent ones."
In 2010 comments the Pope made in an interview with journalist Peter Seewald regarding condom use attracted attention in the media. In the context of an extended discussion on the help the Church is giving AIDs victims and the need to fight the banalization of sexuality, and in response to the charge that "It is madness to forbid a high-risk population to use condoms", Pope Benedict stated:
.
This explanation was interpreted by many as a change of tact by the Vatican which necessitated a clarification from the Vatican that "the pope does not morally justify the disordered exercise of sexuality, but maintains that the use of the condom to diminish the danger of infection may be “a first assumption of responsibility”, as opposed to not using the condom and exposing the other person to a fatal risk.
opined that in certain cases, the usage of condom
s might be allowable stating, "The use of condoms can, in certain situations, be a lesser evil". He stressed the particular case of married couples where one has HIV
or AIDS
. But he quickly noted that it's one thing the principle of the lesser evil in such cases, and quite another the subject who has to convey those things publicly, thus it is not up to the Church authorities to support condom use publicly, because of "the risk of promoting an irresponsible attitude". The Church is more likely to support other morally sustainable means, such as abstinence
.
is preferable, condom
s are acceptable as a means of preventing AIDS
. In an interview with the Dutch Catholic broadcaster RKK, he said: "When someone is HIV
positive and his partner says 'I want to have sexual relations with you', he doesn't have to do that, if you ask me. But, when he does, he has to use a condom, because otherwise he adds to a sin against the sixth commandment (thou shalt not commit adultery) a sin against the fifth (thou shalt not kill)." He added: "This comes down to protecting yourself in a preventive manner against a disease or death. It cannot be entirely morally judged in the same manner as a pure method of birth control
."
, Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger considered the use of condoms to be acceptable if one of the partners had HIV
.
believes that the Catholic Church should reverse its position on the use of condoms to prevent HIV
transmission.
Dowling first announced his position on condom use in 2001, in a response to a question by a Catholic news agency reporter during a bishops' conference in southern Africa. After stating that the bishop's conference had not taken a position on condom use, Dowling was asked for his personal opinion, and said that he believed condoms should be used to prevent the spread of HIV.
Following this, he received a number of rebukes from the South African papal nuncio. The bishop's conference condemned his words, describing condoms as "an immoral and misguided weapon" in the fight against HIV, and argued that condom use could even encourage the spread of HIV by promoting extramarital sex.
Empirical evidence suggests that, although condoms do not guarantee the perfect prevention of STD transmission, condoms greatly reduce the risks of transmission.
Other studies have focused more on HIV/AIDS and have reliably found more than an 80% drop in the risk of transmission when condoms are used..
Researchers report that the primary challenge is getting people to use condoms all the time.
Currently, empirical evidence also suggests that abstinence-only sex education does not work, and comprehensive sex education should be used instead.
For instance, abstinence only education fails to decrease people's risks of transmitting STDs in the developing world..
Polly Toynbee
has characterized the Vatican as "a modern, potent force for cruelty and hypocrisy", charging that the Church's ban on condoms has "caused the death of millions of Catholics and others in areas dominated by Catholic missionaries, in Africa and right across the world. In countries where 50% are infected, millions of very young AIDS orphans are today's immediate victims of the curia."
In 2003, the WHO denounced statements by the Roman Curia
's health department, 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."
members that O'Connor constituted a menace to people with AIDS. Michael Petrelis, a founding member of ACT UP, was arrested along with 110 others. "We will not be silent,", he screamed before his arrest. "We will fight O'Connor's bigotry". Later, he indicated that the group "came to St. Patrick's in 1989 to repel the church's destructive intrusion into public policies concerning AIDS, gay civil rights and women's reproductive rights."
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
have become controversial in the past twenty years, primarily because many prominent religious leaders have publicly declared their opposition to the use of condoms for contraception or disease prevention. Many health workers and even some religious figures feel they are currently the only means to stop the epidemic. Other issues involve religious participation in global health care services and collaboration with secular organizations such as UNAIDS and the World Health Organization
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...
. Catholic organisations like Caritas
Caritas (charity)
Caritas Internationalis is a confederate of 164 Roman Catholic relief, development and social service organisations operating in over 200 countries and territories worldwide....
already perform extensive social and educational work relating to AIDS, as for example the provision of services to 14,000 AIDS orphan
Orphan
An orphan is a child permanently bereaved of or abandoned by his or her parents. In common usage, only a child who has lost both parents is called an orphan...
s in Namibia
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
.http://www.caritas.org/activities/hiv_aids/index.html
Available data indicates that condom use is very important to decreasing the risk of STD transmission, but also that teaching people in an abstinence-only style does not work (see the criticism section below).
Background
The sexual revolutionSexual revolution
The sexual revolution was a social movement that challenged traditional codes of behavior related to sexuality and interpersonal relationships throughout the Western world from the 1960s into the 1980s...
of the 1960s precipitated Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI
Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
's 1968 encyclical Humanae Vitae
Humanae Vitae
Humanae Vitae is an encyclical written by Pope Paul VI and issued on 25 July 1968. Subtitled On the Regulation of Birth, it re-affirms the traditional teaching of the Catholic Church regarding married love, responsible parenthood, and the continuing proscription of most forms of birth...
(On Human Life) which rejected the use of contraception
Contraception
Contraception is the prevention of the fusion of gametes during or after sexual activity. The term contraception is a contraction of contra, which means against, and the word conception, meaning fertilization...
, including sterilization, asserting that these work against the intimate relationship and moral order of husband and wife by directly opposing God's will. It approved Natural Family Planning
Natural family planning
Natural family planning is a term referring to the family planning methods approved by the Roman Catholic Church. In accordance with the Church's requirements for sexual behavior in keeping with its philosophy of the dignity of the human person, NFP excludes the use of other methods of birth...
as a legitimate means to limit family size. The assertion of Papal authority on this issue was an unusual departure from Conciliar
Conciliar
Conciliar may refer to:*Conciliarity, conciliar authority*Conciliarism, a movement in Roman Catholicism emphasising Conciliarity...
authority which was the normal process of the Church Councils such as Vatican II.
Church teaching on the use of condoms
The use of condoms to prevent disease is a controversial issue, with Catholic theologians arguing both sides. Unlike drugs and surgical procedures, however, the current consensus is that using condoms during sex is morally contraceptive and thus a sin.While condoms might serve as an effective barrier to the transmission of HIV, condoms also impermissibly impede the procreative aspect of the sexual act which is understood by the Church to have a deeply theological meaning
Theology of the Body
Theology of the Body is the topic of a series of 129 lectures given by Pope John Paul II during his Wednesday audiences in the Pope Paul VI Hall between September 1979 and November 1984. It was the first major teaching of his pontificate...
. As such, their use is forbidden. Theology aside, Church officials deny that their teaching against condom use is followed by those same people who flout Church teaching on illicit sexual activity, such as its absolute condemnation of anal intercourse between men.
A common position of Church leaders is that officially permitting condom use as a method of preventing disease could be interpreted as permitting fornication, which degrades and debases sex.
Condom controversy
The Church emphasizes "education towards sexual responsibilityCatholic teachings on sexual morality
Catholic teachings on sexual morality draw from natural law, Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition and are promulgated authoritatively by the Magisterium...
", focusing on partner fidelity rather than the use of condoms as the primary means of preventing the transmission of AIDS. The Church's position is that all responsible sex must occur within the framework of a faithful, monogamous relationship. In addition, various members of the Church hierarchy have pointed out that condoms have a non-zero risk of transmitting AIDS.
Church officials argue that reliance on condoms to prevent transmission of AIDS can result in a false sense of security because of the problem of "leakage and breakage". Other more serious claims have been made, however. In 2003, contrary to empirical evidence, the president of the Vatican's Pontifical Council for the Family
Pontifical Council for the Family
The Pontifical Council for the Family is part of the Curia of the Roman Catholic Church. It was established by Pope John Paul II on 9 May 1981 with his motu proprio Familia a Deo Instituta, replacing the Committee for the Family that Pope Paul VI had established in 1973...
- "senior spokesman" Cardinal Alfonso Lopez Trujillo - claimed that condoms are permeable to the aids virus. He explained to BBC interviewers that "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 false claims were echoed by an archbishop of Nairobi, as well as by Catholics as far Asia and Latin America. Also according to The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, the BBC confirmed that this misinformation has real, damaging effects at the ground level.
The Church is concerned that promotion of condom use will lead to irresponsible, risky sexual behavior (promiscuity and prostitution). Both individuals and governments could come to rely on condoms as the primary line of defense rather than emphasizing the need for "partner fidelity".
Pope John Paul II
John Paul II's position against artificial birth control, including the use of condoms to prevent the spread of HIV, was harshly criticised by doctors and AIDSAIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
activists, who said that it led to countless deaths and millions of AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
orphan
Orphan
An orphan is a child permanently bereaved of or abandoned by his or her parents. In common usage, only a child who has lost both parents is called an orphan...
s. Critics have also claimed that large families are caused by lack of contraception and exacerbate Third World
Third World
The term Third World arose during the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned with either capitalism and NATO , or communism and the Soviet Union...
poverty and problems such as street children
Street children
A street child is a child who lives on the streets of a city, deprived of family care and protection. Most children on the streets are between the ages of about 5 and 17 years old.Street children live in junk boxes, parks or on the street itself...
in South America.
On 15 November 1989, John Paul II addressed the 4th International Conference of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Health Care Workers
Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Health Care Workers
The Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Health Care Workers was set up by the Motu Proprio Dolentium Hominum of 11 February 1985, by Pope John Paul II who reformed the Pontifical Commission for the Pastoral Assistance to Health Care Workers into its present form in 1988. It is part of the...
in the following terms : it seems profoundly damaging to the dignity of the human being, and for this reason morally illicit, to support a prevention of AIDS that is based on a recourse to means and remedies that violate an authentically human sense of sexuality, and which are a palliative to the deeper suffering which involve the responsibility of individuals and of society. This was interpreted in May 1990 by the Roman Catholic bishops of Madagascar
Roman Catholicism in Madagascar
The Catholic Church in Madagascar is part of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope and curia in Rome....
as a "solemn reminder" giving ground for their view that in the context of positions such as that of cardinal Lustiger who stated that it was a "lesser evil", "the condom remains a 'moral evil'".
In September 1990, John Paul II visited the small town of Mwanza
Mwanza
Mwanza is a mid-sized port city on the southern shores of Lake Victoria in northwestern Tanzania. With an urban population of 1.2 million and a metropolitan population of 2 million, it is Tanzania's second largest city, following Dar es Salaam and ahead of other major Tanzanian cities of Arusha,...
, in northern Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
, and gave a speech that many believe set the tone for the AIDS crisis in Africa. Being unequivocal, he told his audience that condoms were a sin in any circumstances. He lauded family values and praised fidelity and abstinence as the only true ways to combat the disease.
In December 1995, the Pontifical Council for the Family
Pontifical Council for the Family
The Pontifical Council for the Family is part of the Curia of the Roman Catholic Church. It was established by Pope John Paul II on 9 May 1981 with his motu proprio Familia a Deo Instituta, replacing the Committee for the Family that Pope Paul VI had established in 1973...
issued guidelines saying that parents must also reject the promotion of so-called "safe sex" or "safer sex", a dangerous and immoral policy based on the deluded theory that the condom can provide adequate protection against AIDS.
Pope Benedict XVI
In 1988 a debate within the Catholic Church over the use of condomCondom
A condom is a barrier device most commonly used during sexual intercourse to reduce the probability of pregnancy and spreading sexually transmitted diseases . It is put on a man's erect penis and physically blocks ejaculated semen from entering the body of a sexual partner...
s to prevent AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
sparked an intervention from Rome. The Church in 1968 had already stated in Humanae Vitae
Humanae Vitae
Humanae Vitae is an encyclical written by Pope Paul VI and issued on 25 July 1968. Subtitled On the Regulation of Birth, it re-affirms the traditional teaching of the Catholic Church regarding married love, responsible parenthood, and the continuing proscription of most forms of birth...
that chemical and barrier methods of contraception went against Church teachings. The debate was over the different issue of whether or not condoms could be used, not as contraceptives, but as a means of preventing the spread of HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. In 1987, the U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is the episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in the United States. Founded in 1966 as the joint National Conference of Catholic Bishops and United States Catholic Conference, it is composed of all active and retired members of the Catholic...
issued a document suggesting that education on the use of condoms could be an acceptable part of an anti-AIDS program.
In response, Cardinal Ratzinger stated that such an approach "would result in at least the facilitation of evil" – not merely its toleration. For the full text of the letter, see: On "The Many Faces of AIDS" (See also Karol Wojtyla's Love and Responsibility
Love and Responsibility
Love and Responsibility is a book written by Karol Wojtyła before he became Pope John Paul II and was originally published in Polish in 1960 and in English in 1981....
). Critics argue that Ratzinger's approach would lead to increases in the frequency of HIV/AIDS infections, while many Catholics dispute this and emphasize the value of faithful relationships or chastity
Chastity
Chastity refers to the sexual behavior of a man or woman acceptable to the moral standards and guidelines of a culture, civilization, or religion....
, as it is scientifically impossible to contract the disorder without having sex with an infected person, unless via some other means such as a blood transfusion or sharing a needle.
In 2005, the Pope listed several ways to combat the spread of HIV, including chastity, fidelity in marriage and anti-poverty efforts; he also rejected the use of condoms.
In March 2009, the Pope was sharply criticized after he stated that “if there is no human dimension, if Africans do not help [by responsible behaviour], the problem cannot be overcome by the distribution of prophylactics: on the contrary, they increase it" and reiterated his view that "the solution must have two elements: firstly, bringing out the human dimension of sexuality, that is to say a spiritual and human renewal that would bring with it a new way of behaving towards others, and secondly, true friendship offered above all to those who are suffering, a willingness to make sacrifices and to practise self-denial, to be alongside the suffering.” In that same month, a senior research scientist at the Harvard School of Public Health
Harvard School of Public Health
The Harvard School of Public Health is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University, located in the Longwood Area of the Boston, Massachusetts neighborhood of Mission Hill, which is next to Harvard Medical School. HSPH is considered a significant school focusing on health in the...
, Mr. Edward C. Green, penned an article entitled "The Pope May Be Right" in which he stated that while "in theory, condom promotions ought to work everywhere...that's not what the research in Africa shows." The writer also indicated that strategies that worked in Africa were "Strategies that break up these multiple and concurrent sexual networks -- or, in plain language, faithful mutual monogamy or at least reduction in numbers of partners, especially concurrent ones."
In 2010 comments the Pope made in an interview with journalist Peter Seewald regarding condom use attracted attention in the media. In the context of an extended discussion on the help the Church is giving AIDs victims and the need to fight the banalization of sexuality, and in response to the charge that "It is madness to forbid a high-risk population to use condoms", Pope Benedict stated:
.
This explanation was interpreted by many as a change of tact by the Vatican which necessitated a clarification from the Vatican that "the pope does not morally justify the disordered exercise of sexuality, but maintains that the use of the condom to diminish the danger of infection may be “a first assumption of responsibility”, as opposed to not using the condom and exposing the other person to a fatal risk.
Episcopal conferences
Despite the Vatican’s intransigence regarding the acceptability of condoms for the purpose of preventing transmission of the HIV/AIDS virus, a number of episcopal conferences have suggested that condom use may be acceptable in some circumstances to prevent AIDS. One of the first episcopal conferences to take such a stance was the French Bishops Council which asserted in 1989 that, “The whole population and especially the young should be informed of the risks. Prophylactic measures exist.” In 1996, the Social Commission of the French Bishops' Conference said that condom use “can be understood in the case of people for whom sexual activity is an ingrained part of their lifestyle and for whom [that activity] represents a serious risk.” In 1993, the German Bishops Conference noted: “In the final analysis, human conscience constitutes the decisive authority in personal ethics... consideration must be given...to the spread of AIDS. It is a moral duty to prevent such suffering, even if the underlying behavior cannot be condoned in many cases...The church...has to respect responsible decision-making by couples.”Carlo Maria Martini
In April 2006, in response to a very specific question from the bioethicist Ignazio Marino, Cardinal Carlo Maria MartiniCarlo Maria Martini
Carlo Maria Martini, SJ is an Italian Cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was Archbishop of Milan from 1980 to 2002, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1983.-Early life and education:...
opined that in certain cases, the usage of condom
Condom
A condom is a barrier device most commonly used during sexual intercourse to reduce the probability of pregnancy and spreading sexually transmitted diseases . It is put on a man's erect penis and physically blocks ejaculated semen from entering the body of a sexual partner...
s might be allowable stating, "The use of condoms can, in certain situations, be a lesser evil". He stressed the particular case of married couples where one has HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
or AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
. But he quickly noted that it's one thing the principle of the lesser evil in such cases, and quite another the subject who has to convey those things publicly, thus it is not up to the Church authorities to support condom use publicly, because of "the risk of promoting an irresponsible attitude". The Church is more likely to support other morally sustainable means, such as abstinence
Abstinence
Abstinence is a voluntary restraint from indulging in bodily activities that are widely experienced as giving pleasure. Most frequently, the term refers to sexual abstinence, or abstention from alcohol or food. The practice can arise from religious prohibitions or practical...
.
Godfried Danneels
Cardinal Godfried Danneels is seen as one of the leaders of the "reformist party" within the Church. For instance, he has said that, although abstinenceAbstinence
Abstinence is a voluntary restraint from indulging in bodily activities that are widely experienced as giving pleasure. Most frequently, the term refers to sexual abstinence, or abstention from alcohol or food. The practice can arise from religious prohibitions or practical...
is preferable, condom
Condom
A condom is a barrier device most commonly used during sexual intercourse to reduce the probability of pregnancy and spreading sexually transmitted diseases . It is put on a man's erect penis and physically blocks ejaculated semen from entering the body of a sexual partner...
s are acceptable as a means of preventing AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
. In an interview with the Dutch Catholic broadcaster RKK, he said: "When someone is HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
positive and his partner says 'I want to have sexual relations with you', he doesn't have to do that, if you ask me. But, when he does, he has to use a condom, because otherwise he adds to a sin against the sixth commandment (thou shalt not commit adultery) a sin against the fifth (thou shalt not kill)." He added: "This comes down to protecting yourself in a preventive manner against a disease or death. It cannot be entirely morally judged in the same manner as a pure method of birth control
Birth control
Birth control is an umbrella term for several techniques and methods used to prevent fertilization or to interrupt pregnancy at various stages. Birth control techniques and methods include contraception , contragestion and abortion...
."
Jean-Marie Lustiger
Although he fully endorsed John Paul II's views on bioethicsBioethics
Bioethics is the study of controversial ethics brought about by advances in biology and medicine. Bioethicists are concerned with the ethical questions that arise in the relationships among life sciences, biotechnology, medicine, politics, law, and philosophy....
, Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger considered the use of condoms to be acceptable if one of the partners had HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
.
Kevin Dowling
Bishop Kevin DowlingKevin Dowling
Kevin Patrick Dowling, C.SS.R., is a South African prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. A Redemptorist, he is the second and current Bishop of Rustenburg.-Early life and ordination:...
believes that the Catholic Church should reverse its position on the use of condoms to prevent HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
transmission.
Dowling first announced his position on condom use in 2001, in a response to a question by a Catholic news agency reporter during a bishops' conference in southern Africa. After stating that the bishop's conference had not taken a position on condom use, Dowling was asked for his personal opinion, and said that he believed condoms should be used to prevent the spread of HIV.
Following this, he received a number of rebukes from the South African papal nuncio. The bishop's conference condemned his words, describing condoms as "an immoral and misguided weapon" in the fight against HIV, and argued that condom use could even encourage the spread of HIV by promoting extramarital sex.
Catholics for Choice
Catholics for Choice, a dissident group, maintains that condom use will prevent the spread of AIDS, since couples will have sex despite Vatican prohibition. Two bishops share the beliefs of Condoms4Life, and have come out in support of condom use when one partner has AIDS, arguing the Roman Catholic Church's official position on this issue is unconscionable.Criticism
The Church's stance has been criticized as unrealistic, ineffective and irresponsible by some public health officials and AIDS activists. They often refer to the scientific consensus that condoms greatly reduce the risk of STD transmission, but also that Abstinence-only sex education is ineffective - discussed below.Empirical evidence suggests that, although condoms do not guarantee the perfect prevention of STD transmission, condoms greatly reduce the risks of transmission.
Other studies have focused more on HIV/AIDS and have reliably found more than an 80% drop in the risk of transmission when condoms are used..
Researchers report that the primary challenge is getting people to use condoms all the time.
Currently, empirical evidence also suggests that abstinence-only sex education does not work, and comprehensive sex education should be used instead.
For instance, abstinence only education fails to decrease people's risks of transmitting STDs in the developing world..
Polly Toynbee
Polly Toynbee
Polly Toynbee is a British journalist and writer, and has been a columnist for The Guardian newspaper since 1998. She is a social democrat and broadly supports the Labour Party, while urging it in many areas to be more left-wing...
has characterized the Vatican as "a modern, potent force for cruelty and hypocrisy", charging that the Church's ban on condoms has "caused the death of millions of Catholics and others in areas dominated by Catholic missionaries, in Africa and right across the world. In countries where 50% are infected, millions of very young AIDS orphans are today's immediate victims of the curia."
NGOs
UNAIDS has collaborated with the Roman Catholic Church, especially Caritas Internationalis, in the fight against AIDS, something which many people only realised after a December 2005 message by Pope Benedict XVI. However, it indicated in a 2009 communiqué that it did not agree that condoms were unhelpful in AIDS prevention.In 2003, the WHO denounced statements by the Roman Curia
Roman Curia
The Roman Curia is the administrative apparatus of the Holy See and the central governing body of the entire Catholic Church, together with the Pope...
's health department, 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."
ACT UP activism
There was a widespread belief among the ACT UPAIDS Coalition to Unleash Power
AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power is an international direct action advocacy group working to impact the lives of people with AIDS and the AIDS pandemic to bring about legislation, medical research and treatment and policies to ultimately bring an end to the disease by mitigating loss of health and...
members that O'Connor constituted a menace to people with AIDS. Michael Petrelis, a founding member of ACT UP, was arrested along with 110 others. "We will not be silent,", he screamed before his arrest. "We will fight O'Connor's bigotry". Later, he indicated that the group "came to St. Patrick's in 1989 to repel the church's destructive intrusion into public policies concerning AIDS, gay civil rights and women's reproductive rights."
See also
- Drug Resources Enhancement against Aids and Malnutrition (DREAM)DREAM (AIDS therapy program)DREAM is an AIDS therapy program promoted by the Christian Community of Sant'Egidio...
promoted by the Community of Sant'EgidioCommunity of Sant'EgidioThe Community of Sant'Egidio is a Christian community that is officially recognized by the Catholic Church as a "Church public lay association". It claims 50,000 members in more than 70 countries... - Religion and AIDSReligion and AIDSThe relationship between religion and HIV/AIDS is complicated, and often controversial. Controversies have mainly revolved around LGBT people and condom use.-Religious charity work:Many religious charities provide services for people living with HIV/AIDS...
External links
- Vatican.va: Family values Versus Safe Sex: A Reflection by His Eminence, Alfonso Cardinal López TrujilloAlfonso López TrujilloAlfonso López Trujillo was a Colombian Cardinal Bishop of the Roman Catholic Church and president of the Pontifical Council for the Family.-Youth:...
- Caritas InternationalisCaritas (charity)Caritas Internationalis is a confederate of 164 Roman Catholic relief, development and social service organisations operating in over 200 countries and territories worldwide....
: HIV & AIDS