Pope's comments on condom upset Catholics

Washington, March 19: Pope Benedict XVI's comment that sexual abstinence and not condoms are the need of the hour to fight AIDS has earned ire of several human right advocacy groups and Catholic crowds in the US as well as worldwide.

The pope’s comments came on his first papal visit to the African continent, where around 22 million people are HIVdefine infected, as estimated by the UN in 2007. Swarms of African people are expected to attend his sermons in his week-long trip to the continent.

Jon O'Brien, chief of Catholics for Choice, said that his comments are certainly very "irresponsible and dangerous" and that "few Catholics and even fewer medical personnel agree with his stance". He maintained that condoms are "a critical part of the campaign to reduce the impact of the virus".

"Several bishops in Africa, including Bishop Kevin Dowling of Rustenburg in South Africa, have been outspoken in their support of the use of condoms," added O'Brien.

Pope Benedict XVI, heading the 1.1 billion Roman Catholic force in the world, remarked further that condoms don't help fight AIDS and at times "even aggravate the problems" while speaking in Cameroon.

According to Benedict, the people in the world require "spiritual and human awakening" and "friendship for those who suffer" to control HIV/AIDS.

According to the church guidelines, "sex is for procreation and enriching the union of a married couple" and, therefore, no forms of birth control should be used ethically. However, condoms have been very successful so far in limiting the spread of HIV virus as well as sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

Annoyed by the reckless statement, Harry Knox, head of the religion and faith program at the Human Rights Campaign, said: "On a continent where millions of people are infected with HIV, it is morally reprehensible to spread such blatant falsehoods." His campaign supports equal rights for the gay, lesbian and trans-gender population.

"The pope's rejection of scientifically proven prevention methods is forcing Catholics in Africa to choose between their faith and the health of their entire community," said a furious Knox.

According to O'Brien, Catholics from United States, Mexico, Ghana, Ireland, Philippines have backed condom-use greatly. In a poll, 90 percent of Mexican Catholics along with 86 percent Irish, 79 percent US, 77 percent Philippine and 59 percent Ghana Catholics stated that "using condoms is pro-life because it helps save lives by preventing the spread of AIDS."

"Now is not the time for the pope to be dismissing the importance of condom use. As he travels to Africa, he will face the realities of the epidemic," explained O'Brien.

However, critics feel that sex is a part of human life and Catholics are no different. With HIV virus spreading and swallowing a big part of human population every year, faith has to go hand in hand with scientifically-proven protection.

Many agree that sub-Saharan Africa is worse-hit by the fatal infection and God and religious beliefs alone cannot tackle the further worsening situation. Protestors feel that reality can be dealt with condoms and not by just abstinence, as the pope preaches.

The pope, who believes condoms are not pro-life, believes in and preaches marital fidelity and abstinence. Many people, however, are having sex outside marriage or have multiple partners, obviously unaware of his teachings or simply not following them.