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One certainly did not expect the following explicit and detailed note from the Vatican Press Office in response to the worldwide headline-making misreading of statements about condoms made by the Pope in the new interview book that won't even come out till Tuesday!
Obviously, the Pope himself must have thought it necessary to issue this clarification right away - even though his statements, taken as a whole, and not isolated out of context, were pretty clear. It was quite alarming even to someone like me to wake up today to headlines that have stalwart orthodox Catholic writers, UN officials and condom advocates all chiming in that the Pope has taken a significant turn in Church teaching... Imagine what the Pope must have felt!
NOTE OF FR. FEDERICO LOMBARDI
ON THE WORDS OF THE HOLY FATHER
REGARDING CONDOM USE
Translated from
Nov. 21, 2010
At the end of Chapter 20 in the book LIGHT OF THE WORLD, the Pope responds to two questions regarding the fight against AIDS and the use of condoms, questions that referred back to the discussion that followed statements made by the Pope on his trip to Africa in 2009.
The Pope clearly states that at the time, he did not wish to take a position on the question of condoms in general, but wished to affirm forcefully that the AIDS problem cannot be resolved only by distributing condoms because much more needs to be done - to alert, educate, help, advice, and be near to persons who must guard against beuing infected and those who are already infected.
The Pope notes that even in non-ecclesial circles, a sumilar awareness has developed, as evidenced in the so-called ABC strategy (Abstinence - Be Faithful - Condoms), in which the first two elements, abstinence and fidelity, are much more decisive and fundamental for the fight against AIDS, whereas the condom appears more of an easy way out when the other two elements are not present. It should therefore be clear that condoms are not the solution to the problem.
The Pope then widens his outlook to insist that concentrating only on the use of condoms is equivalent to banalizing sexuality, which loses its meaning as an expression of love between two persons and instead becomes a 'drug'.
Fighting against such banalization of sexuality is "part of the struggle to ensure that sexuality is treated as a positive value and to enable it to have a positive value over the whole of man's being".
In the light of this broad and profound view of human sexuality and the problem it faces today, the Pope reaffirms that "of course, the Church does not regard condoms as a real or moral solution" to the AIDS problem.
In this, the Pope is not reforming or changing the teaching of the Church, but reaffirms it in the perspective of the value and dignity of human sexuality as an expression of love and responsibility.
At the same time, the Pope considers the exceptional situation in which the exercise of sexuality represents a true risk to the life of another perosn. In this case, the Pope does not morally justify the disordered exercise of sexuality, but thinks that the use of a condom to mimimize the danger of contagion can be 'a first act of responsibility", a "first step on the way towards recovering a more human sexuality", rather than exposing one's partner to a mortal risk by not using it.
In this, the Pope's reasoning can certainly not be called a revolutionary turnaround.
Many moral theologians and authoritative Church personalities have sustaiend and continue to suatain analogous positions. Nonetheless, it is true that we have not heard it before with such clarity from a Pope, even if it is expressed informally and not magisterially.
Benedict XVI thus courageously gives us an important contribution of clarification and examination in depth of a question that has long been debated.
It is an original contribution because on the one hand, it keeps faith with moral principles and demonstrates lucidity in rejecting an illusory way such as 'confidence on the condom'.
On the other hand, it also shows a comprehensive and farsighted view which is careful to observe small steps forward - even if they are merely initial and still confused - of an often spiritually and culturally impoverished mankind towards a more human and responsible exercise of sexuality.
I doubt that the above clarification will clear up the confusion. The most I can deduce from the Pope's own words is that he finds it a hopeful sign if a prostitute, presumably HIV-infected, shows concern for his casual partner by using a condom, because it shows a rudimentary sense of responsibility.
But does that translate to saying that in the case of a Catholic couple of which one spouse is HIV-infected, they should use condoms, as Cardinal Martini has advocated, rather than observe abstinence as the orthodox teaching goes?
I think that question should have been explicitly confronted by Fr. Lombardi's statement. Otherwise, the next best option to abstinence would be for the couple to discuss their options with their confessor and then make a judgment. In other words, for now, no hard-and-fast rule as yet, outside abstinence, for Catholic couples in such a situation.
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 21/11/2010 20:18] |