AIDS Activists Pleased With the Pope

In a move that delighted some, outraged others and has G Philly thinking it’s a step (albeit a very, very small one) in the right direction, Pope Benedict XVI admitted that condom use may be justified in some cases to prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS. In a new book that hits shelves on Tuesday – Light of the World: The Pope, the Church, and the Sign of the Times – the controversial head of the Roman Catholic Church sat down with author Peter Seewald to discuss religious doctrine in the contemporary world.

After excerpts of the book revealed the pope’s ever-so-slight change of heart about condom use to the Associated Press (different versions suggest the pope permits the use of condoms among only male sex workers, while other versions also include female prostitutes) news headlines around the world began championing the pontiff’s seemingly progressive revelations. Even AIDS activists started shouting amen.

But not so fast.

While the move is certainly a departure from the Catholic Church’s long-held, very conservative belief that any form of contraception is a sin, this new revelation, while certainly promising, offers way too little, too late for most people who are at risk of contracting serious, if not fatal, diseases.

As HIV and AIDS has ravaged the world for three decades now, including people in many predominantly Catholic countries where condom use has been considered taboo thanks to ongoing harping against it by the Vatican, the pope’s latest turnaround is not progressive enough to make a significant difference. It will take much more effort and advocacy to undue the damage done by the church when it comes to AIDS awareness and prevention.

While it is vital for sex workers to protect themselves against disease, this is certainly not the only population at risk, nor is it the only population who could thrive by using condoms properly and consistently. The pope’s mixed messages over condom use doesn’t include couples in which one spouse is knowingly infected. It also says little in the way of homosexuality outside of male prostitution.

Instead, the pope’s reconsideration comes down to a single issue: contraception. Because male prostitutes don’t risk pregnancy, the pontiff advocates that condoms are a fine way to avoid disease (for years birth control and abortion issues have been linked). That’s all well and good. However, this also sends the wrong message to sexually active persons who A.) are not male prostitutes B.) are in a sexual relationship with someone who may be infected C.) are in a sexual relationship with someone who is infected.

Not surprisingly, this crooked condom policy is coming under fire by officials in Africa and beyond where safer sex practices could effectively reduce HIV transmission rates drastically. Prior to this recent statement, Benedict was also criticized for saying condom use actually contributed to an increased rate of HIV infection.

While the church’s reach has dwindled in most industrialized countries during the same period of time that AIDS has firmly planted itself on our radar and in our lives, the church does, indeed, have a significant impact on many believers in many countries, especially throughout Africa and Latin America, where HIV/AIDS spreads at increased rates. And unless the Vatican embraces scientifically proven safe sex practices as a way to save lives now, then this recent revelation about condoms will have very little impact in the long run.

How long will the church wait to make a difference?

In a report just issued last week by the Center for Economic Governance and AIDS in Africa and Results for Development Institute in Washington D.C., it’s estimated that five million more people will become infected with HIV in South Africa alone over the next two decades. This figure adds to the already six million people in the country who are HIV positive – more than any other nation in the world.

Until the Vatican recognizes that condom use will make a difference and save lives among all sexual active people in the world, this is no time to sing the pope’s praises.