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.