Pope Condom Flap

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: Well, the secular anti-Catholic news media is at it again. It's the usual suspects, so I won't bother to mention their outlets by name. This time they've taken the pope's comments about condoms in Africa out of context, and put their own spin on them. This of course has drawn criticism of the pope from every corner of the western world, and even within the Catholic Church, whose modernist clergy are more than willing to crucify the Holy Father at every opportunity they can get. They don't agree with this conservative and orthodox approach to the faith, so they give themselves license to persecute the Holy Father with their words and acts of rebellion.

Because my readers deserve to know the truth, I provide the full context of the pope's interview in which the supposedly controversial comments were made. I will not bother to elaborate or comments on them myself. The Holy Father speaks for himself, and anybody with half an intellect can understand the plain sense of his condom comments when placed in their appropriate context.

A full transcript of the exchange follows...

(CNA) - A journalist from French state TV asked Pope Benedict:

“Holy Father among the many evils that affect Africa there is also the particular problem of the the spread of AIDS. The position of the Catholic Church for fighting this evil is frequently considered unrealistic and ineffective.

“Will you address this issue during your trip? Holy Father, could you please respond in French to this question?” he asked.

Although the Pope responded to a previous question from the French newspaper La Croix in French, he gave this in-depth answer in Italian.

“I would say the opposite.”

"It is my belief that the most effective presence on the front in the battle against HIV/AIDS is precisely the Catholic Church and her institutions. I think of the Community of Sant’ Egidio, which does so much, visibly and invisibly to fight AIDS, of the Camillians, of all the nuns that are at the service of the sick.

“I would say that this problem of AIDS cannot be overcome with advertising slogans. If the soul is lacking, if Africans do not help one another, the scourge cannot be resolved by distributing condoms; quite the contrary, we risk worsening the problem. The solution can only come through a twofold commitment: firstly, the humanization of sexuality, in other words a spiritual and human renewal bringing a new way of behaving towards one another; and secondly, true friendship, above all with those who are suffering, a readiness - even through personal sacrifice - to be present with those who suffer. And these are the factors that help and bring visible progress.

“Therefore, I would say that our double effort is to renew the human person internally, to give spiritual and human strength to a way of behaving that is just towards our own body and the other person’s body; and this capacity of suffering with those who suffer, to remain present in trying situations.

“I believe that this is the first response [to AIDS] and that this is what the Church does, and thus, she offers a great and important contribution. And we are grateful to those that do this.”

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