Going where no pope has gone before

It's too much to hope for, of course, that the authoress might "move forward" out of her dark ignorance and gain a respect for the sanctity of human life.

Asking an ignoramus like the authoress to comment on sexual ethics, or on any aspect of Catholic theology, is the height of absurdity.

Also, in the interest of basic journalistic integrity, I demand that the Post replace the above head shot of the authoress with one that is not decades old.

Sigh. . . . will we EVER progress OUT of Dark Ages IGNORANT religious dogma?
Wafers in Jesus flesh? Sacramental wine literally into Jesus' blood? Exorcism a REAL process instead of prehistoric witchcraft nonsense?

Geeze! Religion = Mankind's Bane.

Fishcrow:
“you don't "move forward" on a moral issue; it's an absolute.”
All religions that hold claim to an absolute moral codes have different moral codes.
Theft is sometimes okay, if it serves the greater good, killing is okay in certain circumstances, even not honoring your violent, abusive parents is okay in certain(sane) circumstances. Morality is relative to time, place and culture.
Belching loudly in my car on the long commute is fine. In front of my kids, naughty, but funny. In front of my saintly mother, unthinkable. Time, place, culture, context.
Even the RCC itself has redefined or rationalized certain ‘absolutes’ over the centuries.
Morality is defined and adjudicated by the society in which a person resides. If that society bases its morality on a specific religious definition, then that is what will likely be dominant. But it is still relative to other places, other cultures, other periods of time.
As David6 pointed out. Polygamy, incest, animal sacrifices and slaughtering enemies was quite common in OT times and places... Even when Jesus came along he released mankind from some of the old laws/absolutes.
What morality do you perceive as being 'absolute'?

Here's my reading, a bit unfair but accurate. Male prostitutes can use condoms, but mothers, even mothers of many, who try to avoid unwanted pregnancies, cannot. And this passes for progress in Catholic thinking?

The convoluted logic that makes one form of birth control "natural" and the other a violation of God's plan is articficial theology that has nothing to do with religion that connects to real spirituality but is a removed, esoteric and jesuitical thinking that is more killing of life than any spermicidal condom could ever be.

Fishcrow

Morality has never been absolute. That's a silly claim that people make when they have no understanding of history.

The Bible is an excellent example of both change in moral teachings over time and an example of morality that we have moved beyond.

Thistlewaite: the fact that you agree with the Pope that the case is an exception validates that the rule is absolute. This is the correct definition of the phrase "the exception that proves the rule."

You cannot have an exception unless there is an absolute rule.

Thistlewaite: you don't "move forward" on a moral issue; it's an absolute.

Actually, perhaps I should take back some of my earlier remarks. Benedict clarified that he meant say that his remarks on condoms applied to female as well as male sex workers. I still think the Church's teaching on sexuality is far too restrictive, but this is now an important step.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/24/world/europe/24pope.html?hp

I am still waiting for meaningful insight into how the Church can assist in the real and deepening human dispair, hunger, and isolation of modern life. Leave all of this other stuff alone...modern civilizations already know and approve of condoms, etc. etc. etc.

It is unfortunate that the pope is going where no pope should go or has gone before on social issues instead of Bible doctrine and faith in God by believing in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Catholics disaffection is related to the church not publishing rigorous studies of the Catholic faith in relation to philosophical and scientific research in physics and astrophysicist. Most priests in the church are very intelligent and highly educated.

In a press release from Geneva researchers claimed a breakthrough in solving one of the biggest riddles in physics, successfully trapping the first “anti-atom” in a quest to understand what happened to all the antimatter that has vanish since the Big Bang.

The study involves finding that indicate matter and antimatter were created in equal amount at the moment of the Big Bang. Since then antimatter seems to have disappeared from the universe while matter went on to become the building blocks of everything that exists and antimatter has all but disappeared except in the lab.

The phenomenon of antimatter is that it immediately disappears upon creation of matter. When atoms made of antimatter contact atoms of matter, there is burst of energy upon contact and the antimatter disappears immediately upon their creations. Researchers have now captured anti-protons mixed in a vacuum to create anti-hydrogen atoms.

In an overwhelming epiphany of insight to creation science has discovered antimatter that is the residual scientific evidence of the word of God. According to the Bible in the book of John, “In the beginning was the Word” or in scientific terms the Big Bang when the physic of matter became the building block of everything that exists.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.”

Will he now order his known pervert priests to use them?

Does Christianity do anything to promote spiritual enlightenment? No, it doesn't. Millions of people are being misguided.

Given his track record, the pope has no moral authority

"Seems to me the condom is the idol of modern society"
No, the RCC is the Idol. Condoms are merely an effective method of reducing the spread of certain STD's. They are not perfect, no. But since the church has failed so miserably in getting people to adhere to chastity the use of condoms is far, far better than not using them.
You guys talk a lot about the failure rate, but you rarely, if ever mention the success rate.
But don't worry, if God really, really wants the desperately impoverished people in Africa to make more babies, surely the infallible, all powerful creator of the universe isn't going to let a thin layer of latex get in the way.

I think the Pope just had to capitulate about so much pressure with the - now glorified - condoms. Seems to me the condom is the idol of modern society, the panacea against STD spread, but it only takes a failure rate to allow for the continued spread of STD's if people keeps behaving the way they do today.