Joe "The Rat" Ratzinger, better known to the likes of you as Pope Benedict Ex-Vee-Eye, just keeps stepping in it and tracking crap all across the Vatican carpets. It seems that when he opens his mouth, weird stuff can come out. His latest Holy Gaffe, on the eve of his scheduled tour of Africa, was to proclaim that the scourge of HIV/AIDS would be made worse, not better, by the distribution of condoms.
Now Pope Joe has the Euros in an uproar. France, Germany and Belgium to put the Divine Smackdown on Benny XVI. From The Guardian:
Eric Chevallier, a spokesman for the French foreign ministry, said in an online briefing: "France voices extremely sharp concern over the consequences of Benedict XVI's comments. While it is not up to us to pass judgment on church doctrine, we consider that such comments are a threat to public health policies and the duty to protect human life."
Laurette Onkelinx, Belgium's health minister, said the pope's comments reflected "a dangerous doctrinaire vision". "His declarations could demolish years of prevention and education and endanger many human lives," she said.
In Berlin, German health minister Ulla Schmidt and development minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul criticised the pope's remarks in a joint statement and underlined the importance of condom use in developing nations.
"Condoms save lives, in Europe as well as on other continents," the ministers said. "Modern assistance to the developing world today must make access to family planning available to the poorest of the poor especially the use of condoms. Anything else would be irresponsible."
If it's not the Holocaust, it's AIDS. Who made this guy pope anyway and what were they thinking?
6 comments:
I think people are blowing this out of proportion. What I think is being said is if you just throw a condom at someone and say that if you were this you won't get AIDs. Since they don't know how to use condoms properly they still get AIDs.
Its better to tell these people to be abstinant. Uganda with its ABC program - Abstinance first, then Be Faithful, then Condoms has been the most successful at reducing its aids rate.
Throwing condoms (without also preaching abstinance/monogomy) at the problem hasn't worked but yet those preaching only condoms condemn those preaching the abstinance and the monogomy.
Frankly, while people might be right to condemn those preaching abstinance and monogomy without condoms,they should also condemn those who only preach the condoms without the abstinance and monogomy.
You should take your points up with the European governments condemning the seemingly unhinged pope. AIDS isn't going to be resolved by preaching but by educating, something of which the Vatican has a centuries-old record. If you want to preach, you should preach the priests to keep their hands off kids.
You know one articale I read on this only had the first paragraph with things the pope actually said.
The rest was just thing the Vatican did in the past.
Abstinance is the best way to prevent AIDs but people are just yell and scream because the Pope said it. This is what I think the Pope meant. He is saying the distribution of condoms promotes sexual activity and therefore increases the chances of aids being spread through the population due to condoms being use improperly*.
*This includes using expired condoms, using condoms too large for the male's penis, storing the condom at extreme temperatures that weaken the latex, having the condom in a purse or pocket therefore exposing it to damage from other objects in that space such as keys, doing anal, vaginal and/or oral sex in a sexual encounter without changing the condom for each specific act, tearing the condom while opening its package improperly, etc.
And who says that the Vatican only preaches, they help education programs in countries like Uganda that tell people that Abstinance and being loyal to your spouse are the best ways to avoid AIDs.
Pychos come from everywhere and the bigger the organization the more likley there are going to be pychos no matter how much screening they do.
In the end though people always let some bias cloud their opinions me, you , everyone does. The best way to avoid this is to keep calm.
So I ask what is it about saying that abstinance is better than condoms at preventing AIDs.
Is it just because you see them displaying hypocrisy. Or are we just letting our views on the organization block out the message that will help stop AIDs.
So I ask what is it about saying that abstinance is better than condoms at preventing AIDs.
Realistic comes to mind.
Prove to me that abstinence in practice, not in theory, is more effective than condom use in preventing AIDS. Don't give me any papal bull either. The Vatican is about as credible as the evangelical fundamentalists on this.
And, please, don't fob off the business about psychos in every organization. Your goddamned church shuffled these peds around to dodge liability rather than protect kids. When they weren't covering up they were looking the other way and a lot of kids got introduced to buggery thanks to that. You're a moral and spiritual reprobate to try to downplay that. Your church is an abomination and an affront to decency.
MOS,
Well put.
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