By Timothy Nsubuga

22^nd Nov 2010

Pope Benedict XVI

After decades of fierce opposition to the use of all contraception, the Pope Benedict has ended the Catholic Church’s absolute ban on the use of condoms.

The Pontiff said it was acceptable to use a prophylactic when the sole intention was to “…reduce the risk of infection” from Aids.  While he restated the Catholic Church’s staunch objections to contraception because it believes that it interferes with the creation of life, he argued that using a condom to preserve life and avoid death could be a responsible act – even outside marriage.

Asked whether the Catholic Church is not fundamentally against the use of condoms, he replied, “…it of course does not see it as a real and moral solution. In certain cases, where the intention is to reduce the risk of infection, it can nevertheless be a first step on the way to another, more humane sexuality”, the Pope said.

He stressed that abstinence was the best policy in fighting the disease but in some circumstances it was better for a condom to be used if it protected human life.  “…There may be justified individual cases, for example when a male prostitute uses a condom, where this can be … a first bit of responsibility, to redevelop the understanding that not everything is permitted and that one may not do everything one wishes.  But it is not the proper way to deal with the horror of HIV infection”, he stressed

The Pope’s historic change of heart is contained in a book to be published by the Vatican this week based on the first face-to-face interview given by a pope. In the interview, he admits he was stunned by the sex abuse scandal that has engulfed the Catholic Church.

“…It was really almost like the crater of a volcano, out of which suddenly a tremendous cloud of filth came, darkening and soiling everything, so that above all the priesthood suddenly seemed to be a place of shame and every priest was under the suspicion of being one like that too”, the Pope said

The 83-year-old Pontiff admitted in passages published in The Sunday Telegraph newspaper that he is aware his “…forces are diminishing”. However, he appears determined to fight for the place of faith in the public domain.

His language in attacking the use of recreational drugs in the West and its impact on the rest of the world is particularly striking. He describes drug trafficking as an “evil monster” that stems from the “…boredom and the false freedom of the Western world”.

Most significant, however, are his comments on condoms, which represent the first official relaxation of the Church’s attitude on the issue after rising calls for the Vatican to adopt a more practical approach to stopping the spread of HIV.

The Pope’s ruling is aimed specifically at stopping people infecting their partners, particularly in Africa where the disease is most prevalent.  However, it will inevitably be seized upon by liberal Catholics who oppose the Church’s stance against contraception.

The Pope’s comments are surprising because he caused controversy last year by suggesting that condom use could actually worsen the problem of Aids in Africa.

He described the epidemic in the continent as “…a tragedy that cannot be overcome by money alone and cannot be overcome through the distribution of condoms which even aggravates the problems”.

The Pope’s comments in the book, Light of the World written by Peter Seewald after the first personal interview with a Pope in the Church’s history, are likely to be welcomed by Catholic leaders in the West who have struggled to explain its current teaching.

Other Catholic hardliners are however likely to be surprised and dismayed by the Pope’s comments as they argue that condoms can be used only as contraceptives.  END. Please log into www.ugandacorrespondent.com every Monday to read our top stories and anytime mid-week for our news updates.