Archbishop of Cape Town Stephen Brislin has welcomed Pope Benedict XVI's statement that condoms could be used in some cases to prevent the spread of HIV/Aids.
“This is not revolutionary as some have claimed and should be seen in the context of a call away from the evil consequences of promiscuity and a disordered use of sexuality to a more human sexuality faithful to the God-given gift,” Brislin told a gathering in Cape Town on Thursday evening.
Brislin said the Pope had not justified “the morally disordered exercise of sexuality”.
He simply had made the point that, in an exceptional situation, the use of a condom to diminish the real risk of passing on infection may be “a first assumption of responsibility, a first step towards a more human sexuality”, said Brislin, according to a statement released by the Catholic Archdiocese of Cape Town.
The Pope says in a controversial new book that condoms can be used “in some case” to prevent the spread of disease.
Brislin said the number of HIV infections remained “unacceptably high”.
“Until recently, the government’s message has been characterised by the slogan ‘condomise’. The church’s message has been abstinence before marriage and fidelity within marriage. By and large, neither message has been adhered to.
“The number of teenage pregnancies, and the increased number of abortions, both testify that many people have not listened to the condomise message. Equally, they have not listened to the church’s message of abstinence and fidelity,” said Brislin. - Sapa