In preparation to his upcoming trip to Africa, Pope Benedict talked about HIV/AIDS, saying “AIDS is a tragedy that cannot be overcome by money alone, and that cannot be overcome through the distribution of condoms, which even aggravates the problems.”
Does anyone see the irony in taking advice on how to deal with sexual issues and sexually transmitted deseases from a religious leader who has taken a vow of celebacy? The equivilant to taking tips on visiting a third world country from a guy who has never ventured outside his town of birth EVER in his life.
Lets get the facts straight. Science has proven that condoms do not prevent transmission of STDs. They can prevent some, sometimes, but not all STDs all the time. What condoms CAN do in places like Africa where HIV/AIDS is rampant is prevent pregnancies where the child in the womb contracts the disease from the mother. The Pope would have these people simply abstain like himself to solve the problem, but we have billions of years of evolution and the drive to pass on our genes sending a stronger message. We have seen in America the “abstanance only education” largely funded by the Bush admistration was a failure in preventing teen pregnancy. Teens need to be informed on safe sex methods, not told to ignore all those feelings and the boner in their pants. In the end, nature wins and its best that they know how to be safe and responsible than clueless and end up pregnant.
In the end it is about education. Knowledge is power. When the church talks about their “flock” the irony lies with them. The sheeple do what they are told. Using your critical thinking skills is not something promoted in churches as they would loose their “flock” left and right. The catholic church is the biggest promoter of spoon-fed misinformation.
