Back-to-back speeches at a Vatican AIDS conference illustrated that condoms in AIDS prevention remains a sensitive issue for both church officials and international health experts. Michel Sidibe, executive director of UNAIDS, told conference participants May 28 that he was delighted when Pope Benedict XVI, in his recent book-length interview, “Light of the World,” hypothesized that use of a condom to prevent infection could be a first step toward moral responsibility.
As Vatican officials listened with rather pained expressions, Sidibe quoted the relevant section from the pope’s book. “This is very important. This has helped me to understand his position better and has opened up a new space for dialogue,” Sidibe said. A few minutes later, Archbishop Silvano Tomasi also quoted from the pope’s book — the part that began, “We cannot solve the problem (of AIDS) by distributing condoms.” Like other church officials at the conference, Archbishop Tomasi, the Vatican’s representative to U.N. agencies in Geneva, took the view that condom campaigns have failed to tackle the fundamental issue of irresponsible sexual behavior in the spread of the AIDS virus.
The two-day conference was billed as a forum for clarifying pastoral practices when it comes to the church’s efforts against AIDS. No guidelines were issued, but they may come later; the Vatican typically lays down principles at a gathering like this one, and specific instructions may emerge somewhere down the road.
VATICAN CITY (CNS)