Cyprus-Forum.com

[JimB]

Pope Benedict XVI, who is making his first papal visit to Africa, has said that handing out condoms is not the answer in the fight against HIV/Aids.

The pontiff, who preaches marital fidelity and abstinence, said the practice only increased the problem.

"A Christian can never remain silent," he said, after being greeted on arrival in Cameroon by President Paul Biya.

The Pope is also due to visit Angola on his week-long trip, where thousands are expected to attend open-air Masses.

Some 22 million people are infected with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa, according to UN figures for 2007.

This amounts to about two-thirds of the global total.

.....

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7947460.stm

[Oracle]

Proving once again, what outdated, dangerous advice this unnatural and immoral man preaches ....

[CBBB]

Proving once again, what outdated, dangerous advice this unnatural and immoral man preaches ....

Like all Church leaders!

[Simon]

What the Pope says is actually morally correct. It would be the ideal solution. Unfortunately, we do not live in an ideal nor morally correct world. Therefore, condoms are needed. A noble message from the Church but not pragmatic unfortunately.

P.S. The title of this thread is complete rubbish, and is not the title of the article.

[Oracle]

What the Pope says is actually morally correct. It would be the ideal solution. Unfortunately, we do not live in an ideal nor morally correct world. Therefore, condoms are needed. A noble message from the Church but not pragmatic unfortunately.

P.S. The title of this thread is complete rubbish, and is not the title of the article.

What is morally correct about advising consenting adults to abstain from sex; especially if they are prepared to take responsible precautions?

Is it morally correct to advise people to go against nature and abstain? Why is that noble ?

Is marriage a "natural" institution or a man-made one, that this should be the only state in which to practice (safe) sex?

[JimB]

What the Pope says is actually morally correct. It would be the ideal solution. Unfortunately, we do not live in an ideal nor morally correct world. Therefore, condoms are needed. A noble message from the Church but not pragmatic unfortunately.

P.S. The title of this thread is complete rubbish, and is not the title of the article.

The title is what I chose it to be and reflects my feelings on the subject. If you want the title of the article that I quoted then I suggest you click the link.

The Pope has condemned millions of people to death by this pathetic statement. Millions more will be born to homes that can't afford to feed them or provide for their basic needs.

This isn't about promiscuity. This is about women being able to have access to a relatively cheap and affordable form of contraception that a) protects them from disease and b) provides a reliable form of birth control.

At the moment they have no choice.

This is a prime example of why the church should not be allowed to get involved in politics. The guy should be charged with genocide as he's murdering people as effectively as the nazi's.

[Simon]

I did check the link, that is why I confirmed for anyone who may have been misled, that this is your concoction and not the title of the article.

The Pope hasn't condemned millions of people to anything. He is simply expressing his belief (which has always been the view of the Church) that if sex was kept inside marriage in these AIDS stricken countries, then this would be a far better way of dealing with the disease. I agree with him. Unfortunately, as I have said, this is not pragmatic, because of the urges, rapings, the dishonesty, ignorance and promiscuity of people not just in Africa, but all over the world. Condoms are not a panacea anyway, they often malfunction and can therefore spread disease.

Hunger is a separate issue, the Pope was talking about AIDS, not hunger. But since you bring it up; hunger is a problem that needs to be solved, and you will certainly not solve it by telling people to stop having children. What do you want, the African population to cease reproducing? Well if nothing else, that would mean there would be no one left starving.

Oracle, it is noble for people not to sleep around when they are aware of serious AIDS problems, is it not? It is noble because you are showing self-restraint and going against your natural urges for the greater good, is it not? Condoms can give a false sense of security, and are not always effective in preventing the transmission of the virus. Note below, especially the part about HIV:

[quote]For starters, condoms do not protect against human papillomavirus (HPV), which can be passed by body parts left uncovered by a condom. There are over 100 strains of HPV, which can cause a number of things, from genital warts to prostate cancer in men and cervical cancer in women. (Over 12,000 women develop invasive cervical cancer a year and over 4,000 women die from it.) HPV is most common among men and women who have multiple sex partners. (HPV can be detected in woman by a Pap test but there are no HPV tests for men.)

Additionally, a particular spermicide used in some condoms can actually make people more likely to contract HIV! Nonoxynol-9 (N9) is a spermicide used in many condoms (and most diaphragm jellies). N9 makes tiny scratches in the vaginal walls, which makes the transmission of disease more likely. A four-year study found that people who used N9 had a 50% higher rate of infection than those who used a placebo. (Use of N9 can also lead to vaginal lesions and urinary tract infections.)[/quote]

http://www.ou.org/index.php/abstinence/story/condoms/


This is why I say, in an ideal world, the Pope is right, but we do not live in an ideal world, hence the need for condoms.

[Snad]

Bloody Catholics!

I can quite easily say this because I was married to one and all my children are catholic.
They get on my nerves with there preaching. They are such hypocrits too, Cardinal Wolsey had loads of kids and he was a prince of the church.

[Oracle]

Oracle, it is noble for people not to sleep around when they are aware of serious AIDS problems, is it not? It is noble because you are showing self-restraint and going against your natural urges for the greater good, is it not? Condoms can give a false sense of security, and are not always effective in preventing the transmission of the virus...

The noble savage, eh?

Too sanctimonious to preach to the poor of Africa about behaving in a "noble" way ...

How many other diseases can be caught from any of lives undertakings? Eating food, drinking water .... all carry hazards, especially in Africa.

And yes condoms are not 100% effective either at preventing pregnancy or transmission of disease ... but they are effective enough that put into perspective, this should not be used in a scaremongering way, patronisingly telling people they have to be moral and abstain until marriage. After all marriage is documented at reducing the life expectancy of women by some 10%

[CBBB]

Oracle, it is noble for people not to sleep around when they are aware of serious AIDS problems, is it not? It is noble because you are showing self-restraint and going against your natural urges for the greater good, is it not? Condoms can give a false sense of security, and are not always effective in preventing the transmission of the virus...

The noble savage, eh?

Too sanctimonious to preach to the poor of Africa about behaving in a "noble" way ...

How many other diseases can be caught from any of lives undertakings? Eating food, drinking water .... all carry hazards, especially in Africa.

And yes condoms are not 100% effective either at preventing pregnancy or transmission of disease ... but they are effective enough that put into perspective, this should not be used in a scaremongering way, patronisingly telling people they have to be moral and abstain until marriage. After all marriage is documented at reducing the life expectancy of women by some 10%

If marriage reduces the life expectancy of women by 10%, it must be at least 30% for men (I won't make any comments about YOUR poor husbands life expectancy)!