Lombardi: Pope did not change Church teaching on condoms

Note of Holy See Press Office Director Federico Lombardi SJ on Pope Benedict XVI's remarks on the Question of Condoms

At the end of chapter eleven of the book Light of the World, the Pope responds to two questions about the struggle against AIDS and the use of condoms, questions which refer back to the discussions which followed the Holy Father’s remarks on the subject in the course of his trip to Africa in 2009.

First and foremost: the Pope is not reforming or changing the teaching of the Church, but reaffirming it by placing it in the context of the value and the dignity of human sexuality as an expression of love and responsibility.

The Pope clearly reaffirms that he had not meant [in 2009] to take a position on the issue of condoms in general. He simply desired strongly to reaffirm that the problem of AIDS cannot be resolved by just handing out condoms, because much more has to be done: prevention; education; help; counsel; and tender attention to people – in order that they do not get sick in the first place, and also when they do contract the disease.

The Pope observed that there is a similar awareness even in secular environs, as evidenced by the so-called “ABC” approach (Abstinence – Be faithful – Condoms), in which the first two elements (abstinence and fidelity) are basic and far more decisive in the struggle against AIDS. The condom, on the other hand, appears in the final analysis to be a sort of stop-gap when the other two elements are missing. It must be clear, therefore, that condoms are not the solution to the problem.

The Pope then broadens the focus, insisting that to concentrate solely on condoms is basically to trivialize human sexuality, and thus to lose sight of its meaning as an expression of love between persons, and turn it into a sort of “drug.” Struggling against the trivialization of sexuality is, “part of a great effort to see that sexuality is properly appreciated, so that it might exercise its positive effect on the human person in his or her totality.”

In light of this ample and profound vision of human sexuality, and its modern challenges, the Pope reaffirms that “naturally the Church does not consider condoms as the authentic and moral solution” to the problem of AIDS.

At the same time, the Pope considers an exceptional situation in which the exercise of sexuality represents a true risk to the life of another. In that case, the Pope does not morally justify the disordered exercise of sexuality, but holds that, insofar as not using a condom would expose the other person to a greater threat to their life, the use of a condom in order to diminish the danger of infection could be, “a first assumption of responsibility,” and, “a first step in a movement toward a different way, a more human way, of living sexuality.”
In this sense, the reasoning of the Pope certainly cannot be defined as a revolutionary shift. Numerous moral theologians and authoritative ecclesiastical personalities have maintained, and continue to maintain, similar positions. Nevertheless, it is true that until now these positions have not been heard with such clarity from the mouth of the Pope, even if the Pope is speaking in a colloquial, rather than magisterial form.

Benedict XVI’s contribution to the long-standing debate on this question is therefore a profound and important clarification. It is an original contribution: on the one hand, it remains faithful to moral principles and demonstrates lucidity in rejecting “faith in condoms” as an illusory path; on the other, it shows a comprehensive and far-sighted vision, attentive to discovering the first small steps – however halting and confused – of an often spiritually and culturally impoverished humanity, towards a more responsible exercise of sexuality.