Pope Benedict XVI recently published that the Catholic Church would now make exceptions for condom use. Formerly a condemnable practice in the eyes of the Vatican, it will now be permitted in order to prevent the spreading of the HIV virus. The statement from the highest pontiff flies in the face of his former comments in which he professed that condom use would not help to eliminate HIV in Africa, but that condom distribution and safe-sex education would only exacerbate the problem.
The Pope also suggested that the new policy would help prevent spreading HIV in male prostitutes. The use of condoms in that scenario would not constitute a mode of contraception, but that a condom would serve as a barrier strictly for preventing infection, much like, say, a pair of latex gloves.
For the Catholic Church, where exceptions to tradition do not seem to be a part of regular Vatican conversation, this is a huge step in becoming more accommodating to the realities that affect its constituency. For perhaps most Catholics, sexuality and safe sex are topics with which they are confronted daily.
But the exception is dependant on sexual intention, and therefore it insufficiently excludes heterosexual condom use. In other words, many Catholics use condoms to prevent HIV infection through heterosexual intercourse, not to prevent pregnancy.
Aside from the new rule's logical shortcomings, the Pope's actual stance did not truly progress in leaps and bounds. This exception to tradition seems to be only the result of a technicality.
Or is it?
The Spectrum editorial board believes that this new stance veers from an idealistic means of compromise, and that, in a sense, it feels like a penance for the Pope's former PR sins. His earlier statements angered a handful of European governments and HIV-prevention organizations, upon which the Church relies for support.
In this sense, it was more of a political move than it was a generous allowance from the Church's traditional laws. In order to maintain its already waning audience, the Church must maintain its popular conservative stances and adjust to new problems that confront its antiquated fundamentals.
Organized religion's survival is dependant on money. Smaller congregations mean smaller amounts of offering for building maintenance, clerical paychecks and missions.
We believe that the Pope is trying to take back a piece of this gaffe that has haunted his international relations and has ruined his credibility as a consultant for modern issues.
The Church continues to chip away at its usefulness when it makes broad claims against scientific proof. Such claims against HIV prevention can only make it more difficult for it to survive the times as culture evolves and as people rely more heavily on proof than on faith.
