http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11804398

Pope Benedict condones condom use in some cases - book

The comments appear to soften the Roman Catholic Church's hardline stance on contraception

Pope Benedict XVI has said the use of condoms is acceptable "in certain cases", according to a new book.

He said condoms could reduce the risk of infection with HIV, such as for a prostitute, in a series of interviews he gave to a German journalist.

The Vatican newspaper ran excerpts on Saturday.

The comments appear to soften the Roman Catholic Church's hardline stance, which until now had banned the use of any form of contraception.

When asked whether the Catholic Church is "fundamentally against the use of condoms", the Pope is said to have replied, in the book entitled Light of the World: The Pope, the Church and the Signs of the Times:

"It of course does not see it as a real and moral solution.

"In certain cases, where the intention is to reduce the risk of infection, it can nevertheless be a first step on the way to another, more humane sexuality," he said.

The Pope gives the example of the use of condoms by prostitutes as "a first step towards moralisation", even though condoms are "not really the way to deal with the evil of HIV infection".

The pope says that the "sheer fixation on the condom implies a banalisation of sexuality" where sexuality is no longer an expression of love, "but only a sort of drug that people administer to themselves".

Aids crisis

The Church's hardline stance over contraception has led the Vatican to being heavily criticised for its position in the context of the Aids crisis.

On a visit to Cameroon last year, the Pope said the use of condoms could endanger public health and increase the problem of HIV/Aids, rather than help to contain the virus. This drew criticism from several EU states.

Campaigners say condoms are one of the few methods proven to stop the spread of HIV.

The book is due to be published on Tuesday.

I wonder if this is the first signs of new ideas for the church to take, or is he doing this to counter bad press. 

My guess is that like in everything else the Vatican will slowly come around to new social ideas two centuries late. We might see female priests next century.

The Vatican's view on on condoms has always made me feel a little sick.

Quite frankly, 1.5 million people in sub saharan Africa die every years from AIDS/HIV and the reason is largely down to the Vatican. Millions are at risk due to their views on contraceptives and the propaganda they've spread throughout sub saharan Africa.

It's sickening.

It's sad that the Vatican favours their scriptures over human life. They know condoms are a proven method of containing the spread of AIDS, and yet they still outright lie to their followers, even when they're dying in their millions.

It's a step in the right direction to say that condoms could be used to stop infection. But until they act on it and promote the use of condoms as an effective way to stop AIDS, and show some positive results from it, I'll kick up a fuss.

The church (in general) needs more forward thinking leaders like Bishop Desmond Tutu, and less fanatical leaders endangering the lives of their followers like the pope.

Oh yeah, I completely agree with you Highway. The Vatican has many many deaths on their hands from their refusal to allow the use of condoms.

However this is a big step from just a year ago when the Pope was saying that condoms actually made the AIDs pandemic worse.

I dont ever remember any religious officials saying condoms were bad, just that sex is bad

Contraception has been (up until this point) explicitly and universally condemned by the Vatican. Even among married people.

Apart from the Vatican having a ban on using condoms and repeatedly saying condoms make the AIDS pandemic worse.

You know what else prevents the spread of AIDS, abstinence. In fact, it's the only 100% method of prevention (barring accidental exposure/drug use). Now I couldn't care less about the AIDS epidemic, however, people need to quit trying to blame a system that is entirely irrelevant and face up to their own contributions to their issues. The Catholic church may have issues, and the non-support of contraception may be one of them (i'm not going to take a stance either way since it doesn't concern me), however, it is unrelated to the spread of AIDS.

If they were following the teachings of the church then they wouldn't be having sex outside of marriage, and if they married a carrier of HIV and had sex with them, well that's their own stupidity. Now if they married them not knowing they had HIV, that's not something the church's teachings really account for, and that still wouldn't be solved by the use of contraception. Also, what type of husband would have sex with their wife knowing they could put them at risk for HIV; how is that a practice of love?

Now as far as being realistic and facing the realization that people are going to be promiscuous, well then, that's still on them. The church didn't put a gun to their head and force them to make the decisions which led to their exposure; in fact, it does everything it can to promote the only form on control that actually works.

P.S. Way to take a statement out of it's context to further support your own views.

I don't like it when people talk bad about my religion.