Vatican: Pope did not back condom contraception use

[Gerald]

The Vatican has clarified recent comments by Pope Benedict XVI on condoms, saying he did not mean they could be used to avoid pregnancy.The Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith said some analysts had misunderstood the remarks, made by the Pope in recently published interviews.He said condoms could reduce the risk of HIV infection in certain cases, such as for a male prostitute.The interviews were published in a book entitled "Light of the World".The Church's hard-line stance over contraception has led to the Vatican being heavily criticised for its position on the global Aids crisis. Some commentators suggested the comments represented a softening of this stance.

'Taking responsibility'
The Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) is the Vatican's moral watchdog, which Cardinal Josef Ratzinger led before he was elected Pope in 2005.It stressed the Pope's logic was "in full conformity with the moral theological tradition of the church".
In a statement, the CDF said that he had not been talking about sex between a married couple or using condoms as a form of contraception.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12053610



Note: 21 December 2010 Last updated at 18:24 GMT