THE QUESTION

Catholics and condoms

In an interview with journalist Peter Seewald, Pope Benedict XVI said that condom use may be acceptable under "exceptional circumstances" such as use by a male prostitute in order to prevent the spread of HIV/ AIDS.

(UPDATE Nov. 23, 1:29 p.m.:) Pope Benedict's spokesman Rev. Lombardi clarified that the pope's remarks on condoms include "women and transsexuals."

Interpretation of the pope's pronouncement has varied. Many insist that the church's teaching, which bans birth control, has not changed, but others see the pope's statement as opening the door to a broader conversation about human sexuality in the modern world.

What are the implications of Pope Benedict's statement on condoms in terms of AIDS policy, the church's teaching on sex and its view of women?

Posted by Elizabeth Tenety on November 22, 2010 11:13 AM

FROM THE PANEL

What the Pope and Freddie Mercury Have in Common

Pope Benedict XVI has given a jump-start to global dialogue about HIV/AIDS that will save countless human lives.

Posted by Rajdeep Singh, on November 24, 2010 3:24 AM

Could this be the pope's Trojan Horse?

Could this announcement be the pope's Trojan Horse, indicating that future pronouncements on sexuality, conducive to the 21st century world, are forthcoming?

Posted by Debra W. Haffner, on November 23, 2010 1:33 PM

Condoms can be 'pro-life'

I applaud the pope for being willing to recognize that "pro-life" may sometimes mean prophylactics.

Posted by Max Carter, on November 23, 2010 8:41 AM

When theology leads to tragedy

Our modern world is still so afraid of our sexual selves, still so wrapped in taboos and superstitions, that it is willing to turn this ongoing tragedy into a statistic, a talking point, a moral lesson, instead of seeing the industry of ignorance, suffering, and death in which it is engaged.

Posted by Jason Pitzl-Waters, on November 22, 2010 10:35 PM

Going where no pope has gone before

There are frankly some things I feel are theologically promising. The key concept is that the use of a condom can be a moral act, given the intention to reduce the risk of infection from HIV/AIDS. A further question is whether this thinking be able to move the Catholic church forward in terms of regarding contraception in general as an "assumption of moral responsibility," that being the most common basis religious traditions use to argue that contraception is a moral good.

Posted by Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite, on November 22, 2010 2:15 PM

Prostitutes and pedophiles

Here's why I'm cautiously optimistic: Knowing how slowly the Church moves, this baby step could open the door for Benedict or the next pope to go further.

Posted by Herb Silverman, on November 22, 2010 1:48 PM

We do not give people tools for immoral activity

The wider question is, "What is the Church's view of human sexuality, and how that relates to human destiny?"

Posted by Fr. Frank Pavone, on November 22, 2010 12:24 PM

What the pope didn't say about condoms

The worst part is that in all the fuss over what the pope did or didn't say about condoms, many have missed the even more note-worthy and thought-provoking comments from the Benedict XVI in Light of the World.

Posted by Danielle Bean, on November 22, 2010 12:23 PM

Church's teaching on sexual morality can not change

Catholic church teaching on sexual morality has not changed and it will not change because it cannot be changed.

Posted by George Weigel, on November 22, 2010 12:19 PM

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