Cardinal Vidal: Pope did not endorse condoms

CEBU Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal on Monday clarified Pope Benedict XVI’s statement on condoms, saying the pope “did not endorse the use of condoms.”

“In no way, my friends, did the pope endorse the use of condoms for the prevention of AIDS,” Cardinal Vidal said. He was referring to Pope Benedict’s statements made during an interview for the book The Light of the World: The Pope, The Church and Signs of The Times by German journalist Peter Seewald.

Seewald’s book quotes the pope as saying that “in certain cases, where the intention is to reduce the risk of infection, [condoms] can nevertheless be the first step on the way to another, more humane sexuality.”

However, in the same interview, the pope made clear to Seewald that condoms were not the way to fix the AIDS epidemic.

“Becoming simply fixated on the issue of condoms makes sexuality more banal and exactly this is the reason why so many people no longer find sexuality to be an expression of their love, but a type of self-administered drug,” the pope said.

Report from Manila Bulletin