Vatican, Belgium bishops lament Belgium parliament’s opposition to Pope Benedict

(April 4, 2009) The reaction of Belgium's parliament to Pope Benedict XVI's remarks against the use of condoms, is "astonishing" the Vatican's chief spokesman said on Friday. Father Federico Lombardi was commenting on a vote by Belgian lawmakers on Thursday which approved a motion which could lead their country's government to lodge an unprecedented, formal protest with the Vatican over the pontiff's remarks. Pope Benedict's assertion on a plane taking him to Cameroon and Angola last month that AIDS "cannot be overcome through the distribution of condoms, which even aggravates the problem," was described in the motion as "unacceptable." In a statement, Fr. Lombardi rejected the criticism saying, “In every democratic nation the freedom of the Holy Father and the Catholic Church to express its own position appears obvious." The Jesuit priest also questioned whether the lawmakers had considered the pontiff's views "with sufficient attention and seriousness," or if they had been influenced by what he said were distorted reports in the "Western media." Pope Benedict's comments on condoms and AIDS have sparked international criticism from governments, UN agencies and health groups, and unjustifiably overshadowed his message to Africa. Belgium's bishops have also lamented their government’s proposal to protest against Pope Benedict, saying the lawmakers have ignored the Pontiff’s overall message. The Belgian bishops’ conference said they "respect the democratic character of this decision, but lament its content." They said the resolution didn't take into account Benedict XVI's overall message, which was that "without an education in responsible education, all other methods of prevention will fall short." "What our country and Africa need," they added, "is a calm reflection about the means that need to be put into practice to stop the AIDs pandemic."