This is a special edition of "As I See It" due to the media spin on the book "Light of the World" by Pope Benedict. I will try to lay to rest some of the concerns people may have about the use of condoms in the Catholic Church, due to the media coverage of this new book. For the record or in case you thought otherwise, the Catholic Church does not sanction the use of condoms in any circumstance!In this book, Pope Benedict was quoted saying "There may be a basis in the case of some individuals, as perhaps when a male prostitute uses a condom, where this can be a first step in the direction of a moralization, a first assumption of responsibility, on the way toward recovering an awareness that not everything is allowed and that one cannot do whatever one wants. But it is not really the way to deal with the evil of HIV infection. That can really lie only in a humanization of sexuality".
In this statement the Pope is using an example of a same sex relationship and the use of condoms as a "FIRST STEP" in the direction of a moralization. He is not saying that condoms are good, nor is he saying condoms are a way to deal with the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. What the Pope said is that it may be a good first step to realizing what they are doing is wrong due to the harm it could cause.
As Doctor Janet E Smith states on The Catholic World Report "We must note that the example that Pope Benedict gives for the use of a condom is a male prostitute; thus, it is reasonable to assume that he is referring to a male prostitute engaged in homosexual acts. The Holy Father is simply observing that for some homosexual prostitutes the use of a condom may indicate an awakening of a moral sense; an awakening that sexual pleasure is not the highest value, but that we must take care that we harm no one with our choices. He is not speaking to the morality of the use of a condom, but to something that may be true about the psychological state of those who use them. If such individuals are using condoms to avoid harming another, they may eventually realize that sexual acts between members of the same sex are inherently harmful since they are not in accord with human nature.".
To better understand what is being said here, lets use an example of a male drug addict who uses needles to shoot up. In the course of his drug use he comes to the realization that using dirty needles or sharing his needle could be harmful to himself or to others. Due to this realization he decides to always use a clean needle while shooting up and takes steps to make sure that his needle is not being used by anyone else. So, though the drug use is still illegal and not condoned by the Church, the person addicted to drugs, depending on his state of mind, could be making " a first step in the direction of a moralization" by limiting the exposure of dirty needles which could cause harm to himself or to others.
It is common knowledge that the only way to be protected by the harm caused by drugs is to stop taking drugs altogether. In the example I used above, we see that a good first step in accomplishing this goal is to realize what you are doing is wrong and that it could hurt others. By the act of limiting exposure to dirty needles you could be taking that good first step to a moral life.
The ultimate goal in my example would be to have the person stop taking the drugs, but realizing there are many steps involved in quitting the drug habit, focusing on a good first step, may get the individual to take subsequent steps towards recovery.
So, as you can clearly see, Pope Benedict, in his example, is not saying it is acceptable to use condoms, quite the contrary! The Pope still affirms that condom use is immoral, but states that in the homosexual act, it's use could signify the first step towards a moral life, depending on the state of mind of the individual.
To Conclude, I do not condone the use of illegal drugs at all, but can you see where I could be misquoted by the media and could be accused as having a"softening stance" on the use of drugs because I said that a good first step was to use clean needles? The drug addict in my example is not unlike the male prostitute in the Pope's example. Both the addict and male prostitute, due to limiting the harm caused by the immoral act, could be on the first step towards a moral and just life.
By taking comments the Pope made out of the context by which they were made, caused this misunderstanding and allowed for this media frenzy. The pope does not have a "softening stance" on the use of condoms and the Church still affirms that using condoms is an immoral act and has not condoned the use of them.
Here is the full article by Doctor Janet Smith:
http://www.catholicworldreport.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=220:pope-benedict-on-condoms-in-qlight-of-the-worldq&catid=53:cwr2010&Itemid=70
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God Bless You All!
Sean
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