- At Home In a historic paradigm shift, the Pope has declared
that Catholics can use condoms under certain circumstances -
ending the blanket ban on that particular form of contraception.
According to Pope Benedict XVI, the use of condoms has been
deemed morally justified when the sole intention is to help stop
the spread of AIDS by reducing the risk of HIV infection.
However, he restated the Catholic Church's objection to
contraception as a means to prevent procreation. “It [referring
to the Catholic Church] of course does not see it as a real and
moral solution. 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,” the Pope
answered when questioned about the fundamental beliefs of the
Church. “It is not the proper way to deal with the horror of HIV
infection.” This groundbreaking change in position could be in
part due to the heavy criticism Benedict faced after last year's
comments regarding the AIDS epid