The Pope and Condoms 3

Fr Vincent Twomey, theologian and student of the Holy Father, had an excellent letter in the Irish Times this morning explaining what the Pope said.  It is an excellent piece which hits the nail on the head - it is also very clear. Well worth a read.  Fr Twomey is one of voices of faith and common sense in Ireland today, we would do well to listen to him.

To the Editor,
The Irish Times


Dear Madam,

Confusion has been caused by one sentence taken from the Pope's latest, book-length interview with a German journalist. This confusion was caused not by the media but by the incompetence of those entrusted with the translation of the German text into Italian. Contrary to widespread reports in the media based on the Italian translation, the Pope did not say (in the original interview) that using condoms my sometimes be justified to stop the spread of AIDS (The Irish Times, 22 November 2010).

What did he say?

After pointing out that, in the approach to dealing with AIDS, the fixation on the condom implies a trivialization of sex, against which we must fight, the Pope added (in the American translation which is an accurate rendering of the German text): "There may be a basis in the case of some individuals, as perhaps when a male prostitute uses a condom, where this can be a first step in the direction of a moralization, a first assumption of responsibility, on the way towards recovering an awareness that not everything is allowed and that one cannot do whatever one wants. But it is not really the way to deal with the evil of HIV infection. That can only really lie in a humanization of sexuality." In Italian, the opening phrase was translated as: "Vi possono essere singoli casi giustificati" (certain cases may be justified). The term justified is misleading, since it means that the act (using a condom) thereby takes on a positive moral quality, which it has not got. It is still a gravely sinful act. There is no mention of using the condom to stop the spread of AIDS.  The Pope goes on to affirm explicitly that this is not a real or moral solution to the problem, but in this or that case, there can be nonetheless, in the intention of reducing the risk of infection, a first step in a movement toward a different way, a more human way, of living sexuality.

 All the Pope is saying is that, for an individual living a life of sexual abandon (prostitution), the use of a condom might, just might, set off a process of self-reflection in that person which might lead to a more responsible attitude to the use of his sexuality. This is not a case of justifying the use of a condom.

Claims that the Church has changed her teaching are unfounded.

Yours truly,

D. Vincent Twomey SVD