December 1 is World AIDS Day, held annually to raise awareness of the spread of HIV/AIDS and its nearly 35 million victims worldwide.
In advance of this year’s World AIDS Day, Craig McClure, Chief of the HIV & AIDS Section for UNICEF hosted an “Ask Me Anything” live chat on Reddit. As one might expect, the majority of questions centered around AIDS transmission, prevention, and treatment. More surprising (and perhaps disheartening) were the number of questions asking, in one form or another, how much the teachings of the Catholic Church and other religious organizations contributed to the spread of HIV/AIDS.
McClure neatly sidestepped any potential landmines, saying only that “Condoms are one of the most important interventions to prevent HIV infection – safer sex is critical to ending AIDS.” A few anonymous commenters later suggested, wrongly, that the pope had approved the use of condoms for preventing AIDS.
They were referring to Pope Benedict XVI’s attempt in Light of the World, a book of interviews published in 2010, to clarify the Church’s teachings on condom usage in AIDS prevention:
She of course does not regard it as a real or moral solution, but, in this or that case, there can be nonetheless, in the intention of reducing the risk of infection, a first step in a movement toward a different way, a more human way, of living sexuality.
This led many to believe that the Catholic church had changed its teaching. In fact, the pope was making a subtler point illustrated by moral philosopher Janet Smith:
If someone was going to rob a bank and was determined to use a gun, it would be better for that person to use a gun that had no bullets in it [for that] would reduce the likelihood of fatal injuries. But it is not the task of the Church to instruct potential bank robbers how to rob banks more safely and certainly not the task of the Church to support programs of providing potential bank robbers with guns that could not use bullets. Nonetheless, the intent of a bank robber to rob a bank in a way that is safer for employees and customers of the bank may indicate an element of moral responsibility that could be a step towards eventual understanding of the immorality of bank robbing.
In short, the church recognizes the good intentions that can motivate condom use without approving such use. Rather, the Church affirms that the problem of AIDS
cannot be resolved solely with the distribution of condoms, because much more must be done: prevention, education, assistance, counsel, being close to people, both so that they do not become sick, and also in cases where they are sick.
It is problematic, to say the least, that for many the first question about the global AIDS epidemic is whether the Pope “wants people to die from AIDS” because Catholic teaching opposes the use of contraception. Such misconceptions distract from the true concern and obscure the compassion shown by the Church and other religious organizations in their care for AIDS victims and affected communities worldwide.
The simple promotion of condom use will not end the AIDS crisis. It is possible, however, that a fuller understanding of human sexuality and moral responsibility as advocated by the Christian faith could help to slow the disease’s spread.
Christine Emba, an editor living in New York, has worked in international development and AIDS prevention.
December 1st, 2012 | 7:31 pm
[...] the HIV virus. Prevention of the disease always seems to center around the use of condoms which Christine Emba at First Thoughts notes is problematic for the Catholic Church (and others who promote [...]
December 1st, 2012 | 8:12 pm
The Philippines might be an interesting example here. It’s a Catholic country where condom use is said to be relatively rare, but many go abroad and return. Yet their HIV/AIDS rate is fairly low, which almost seems irritating to some of the sources I’ve read which keep expecting it to get way high.
In Africa I don’t think there’s much of a correlation between AIDS and Catholic percentage. A few of the more Catholic nations in Africa have an epidemic, but others don’t and some of the worst affected are fairly low in Catholics. I think even pro-condom people agree other factors do matter like whether people are tested, treatment of sores, polygamy, male circumcision, etc.
Although I have to admit I’m not sure that, morally, condoms do much with the act of sodomy (heterosexual or homosexual) either way. It doesn’t make it “good”, but people who are going to do that I think likely have no reason to shun condoms as they don’t make the act less non-procreative, etc.
December 1st, 2012 | 11:25 pm
“…how much the teachings of the Catholic Church and other religious organizations contributed to the spread of HIV/AIDS.”
Of course, if people strictly followed Catholic teaching on sexuality, there would be a lot fewer cases of sexually transmitted diseases. Maybe there wouldn’t be any at all.
It isn’t the Catholic Church and other religious organizations that encourage promiscuity, drug use and anything else that causes HIV/AIDS.
December 2nd, 2012 | 10:30 am
Of course, if people strictly followed Catholic teaching on sexuality . . . .
But the fact is that they don’t. Even the vast majority of sexually active Catholics don’t. The Church can’t even convince some of its most faithful adherents not to uses contraceptives (including condoms), and yet it tries to influence public-health policy affecting millions of people who aren’t even Catholic during a deadly epidemic.
December 2nd, 2012 | 1:18 pm
Ok being one of those Protestant Pinkos that read First Things I am going to call a time out here. I have never understood Catholic teaching on contraception and look forward to the always vigorous debate that always occurs between readers of the electronic edition.
According to the page Aids.gov (http://aids.gov/hiv-aids-basics/hiv-aids-101/how-you-get-hiv-aids/) one contracts HIV-Aids primarily through exchange of bodily fluids during sex, birth, when receiving a blood transfusion, injecting yourself with used needles, or in the course of being a healthcare worker. If one decrease of the exchange of bodily fluids through any of these activities there will be a decrease vectors by which society will be infected. Yet for some reason the Catholic church does not allow condoms which is a means to prevent sharing of bodily fluids during sexual contact. By doing so the Catholic church is having millions chance the possibility of dying. Millions will become infected and die. This is simply wrong!
The author of this article tries to brush off the horrible conclusion of following Catholic social doctrine in regards to birth control in HIV-Aids infected countries. By saying “much more must be done: prevention, education, assistance, counsel, being close to people, both so that they do not become sick, and also in cases where they are sick.” True no cure to any disease ever totally eradicates a worldwide epidemic. Yet the reality is by not distributing condoms millions of lives will die. The author further states that it is a misconception that the “Pope ‘wants people to die from AIDS ‘ because Catholic teaching opposes the use of contraception. How is this misconception? It simply reality. If you don’t use a condom during sex your are going to get infected in HIV-Aids ravaged Africa. The Catholic Church teaching literally kills millions if Africans were to follow the social teaching of the church.
Further still their needs to be unanimous messaging given to Africa people. Choose abstinence but if you are not going to be sexual pure until marriage or will be unfaithful use a condom which has been shown to prevent HIV-Aids 85% of the time. There is simply no biblical reason why condoms should not be used, and why millions of people should not spare themselves infection because of heresy of Catholic theology concerning condoms. With the greatest respect for religious believers of all religions, I always find that Catholic theology has never been well argued for. When the consequence is simply a misconception in millions of people I do not care so much. When the consequence is literally millions of people dying because they follow heresy promoted from their church that is when I get mad. Catholics needs to look at their theological making process (if they even have one) realize nothing in Holy Scripture prevents the use of condoms and then as they have so often done in the past ( Bull of the Crusade anyone?; Enforcing mass in Latin?; Allowing Church officials to hold political office? Does anyone know where I can purchase an indulgence?) change their theology in order that a unified message from political, medical, and religious authorities all call for the use of using condoms. This would be a task worthy of the great legacy of Catholics around the globe, helping all mankind not become infected with HIV-Aids.
December 2nd, 2012 | 2:04 pm
The Church teaches the good for all people in season and out of season. For what other purpose could the Church possibly exist?
Those within the Church care for the sick, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, give drink to the thirsty, and proclaim the truth about human health of mind, heart, body, and soul. Some listen; some do not.
Those who do not often remember later. Alas, in the case of disease, later may be too late. When it is, a person who has been told the truth does not have to bear the additional burden of having been denied the truth by those in whom he or she had a right to trust.
December 2nd, 2012 | 4:24 pm
One of the more bizarre aspects of the hue and cry over the Pope’s or the Church’s views and teachings on condom use is this:
For these teachings to have any effect, positive or negative, people would have to follow them.
It is ridiculous to suggest that those who refuse to follow the Church’s teaching on sexual morality in general (and thus, by promiscuity, risk infection) would nevertheless meticulously follow the particular rule disallowing contraception and would therefore engage in unsafer sex than they would otherwise.
Nonsense: those who disobey the Pope by sleeping around do not care in the slightest what he thinks about condom use; if they don’t use condoms it will be for all sorts of reasons like “didn’t think of it” or “don’t like it”.
December 2nd, 2012 | 5:55 pm
“Nonsense: those who disobey the Pope by sleeping around do not care in the slightest what he thinks about condom use; if they don’t use condoms it will be for all sorts of reasons like “didn’t think of it” or “don’t like it”.
Exactly right. The morality of condom use would hardly flitter past the radar screens of people who see nothing wrong with fornication, adultery, prostitution, drug abuse and other sins. It’s a laughable argument.
December 2nd, 2012 | 6:17 pm
Nonsense: those who disobey the Pope by sleeping around do not care in the slightest what he thinks about condom use; if they don’t use condoms it will be for all sorts of reasons like “didn’t think of it” or “don’t like it”.
Wolf Paul,
First, I don’t think it is correct to assume the Church teaches that if you are going to have what it considers illicit sex, it adds to the moral gravity of the act to use condoms. That would be rather absurd. The position of the Church, as I understand it, is that the Church is simply unwilling to say, “If you are going to do something wrong, here’s how to do it.” What the Church says is, “If you’re going to do something wrong, simply don’t.”
Suppose an HIV-infected person is a rapist. Can anyone really deny that when he committed rapes, it would be slightly less heinous for him to use condoms? However, the Church (in thiscase quite reasonably) is not going to say, “If you are an HIV-infected rapist, you should use condoms when you commit rapes.” It sounds like saying, “Raping someone won’t be quite as bad if you use condoms.” It sounds like a kind of permission.
For these teachings to have any effect, positive or negative, people would have to follow them.
It is not so much a worry that the general public won’t practice safer-sex if the Church opposes condoms. It is that the Church itself in it’s (laudable) AIDS-prevention efforts, and other organizations influenced by the Church, will omit the promotion of condom use in their efforts to stop the spread of AIDS. Craig McClure, Chief of the HIV & AIDS Section for UNICEF, said, “Condoms are one of the most important interventions to prevent HIV infection – safer sex is critical to ending AIDS.” This is the consensus among medical organizations fighting the AIDS epidemic. To the extent that the Catholic Church is effective in discouraging those in the fight against AIDS to forego the use of “one of the most important interventions,” to that extent the Church is hindering the fight against AIDS. The Church is, in effect, saying that it is better to encourage people to act morally, even if this works to the detriment of the fight against AIDS.
One of the problems that is not discussed here is that some in the Church, and at very high levels, have sought to persuade people that condoms aren’t effective. For example, in 2003 when Vatican’s Pontifical Council for the Family, Cardinal Alfonso Lopez Trujillo, claimed in a television interview that condoms were ineffective because the AIDS virus was small enough to pass right through them. That is false, and the World Health Organization had to speak up to correct the Vatican.
December 2nd, 2012 | 8:47 pm
The morality of condom use would hardly flitter past the radar screens of people who see nothing wrong with fornication, adultery, prostitution, drug abuse and other sins. It’s a laughable argument.
To repeat briefly my earlier point, it would be a (somewhat) laughable argument that the Catholic Church somehow influenced people who were having illicit sex to forego condom use because the pope says condom use is sinful. However, the concern is that the Church as an international player in the battle against AIDS does not itself distribute condoms or teach safer sex, and also the Church uses its influence to try to persuade other organizations fighting AIDS not to teach condom use or safer sex.
If UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) followed Catholic sexual morality, they would not distribute condoms or teach safer-sex either. Yet the ABC method is agreed by the major international health organizations to be the correct way to fight AIDS:
Abstain
Be faithful
If not, use Condoms
December 3rd, 2012 | 6:22 am
Readers here may enjoy The Hon. Michael Kirby “AIDS and Religion – The Wave of Hate Must Stop” Government of The Netherlands Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance UNIAIDS Symposium on AIDS and Religion, Den Dolder, The Netherlands 22 March 2010
“True love for the life of others must illuminate our answers.”
http://tinyurl.com/cxdudn2
December 3rd, 2012 | 12:22 pm
Christine, I think you (and many others) missed the point of the Pope’s comment concerning condoms. Two men cannot have “sex”. When two men use a condom it is never a contraceptive. There is no chance whatsoever of one of them becoming pregnant. So it only acts as a potential barrier to the spread of disease. That was the Pope’s point.
December 3rd, 2012 | 9:52 pm
I was surprised the author did not link to this very interesting article on the subject a few years ago in this very magazine:
http://www.firstthings.com/article/2008/03/002-aids-and-the-churches-getting-the-story-right-27
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