Mitrehead

March 17th, 2009 – Pope Benedict XVIth has not only refused to endorse condom use in AIDS riddled Sub-Saharan Africa but has also dubbed their use a mortal sin. If his Excellency has detailed test studies and investigation reports on the subject, he is certainly keeping them for himself while he boldly claims that the AIDS epidemic is ‘a tragedy that cannot be overcome by money alone, that cannot be overcome through the distribution of condoms, which can even increase the problem’. To truly face and solve the AIDS crisis in the poverty stricken part of the world, his Popeness has offered many solutions. He suggests ‘spiritual and human awakening’, ‘sexual abstinence’ and finally ‘friendship for those who suffer’. We should definitely send a few billion dollars researching these solutions because they certainly sound like they don’t do as much as birth-control to me.

To say that abstinence should be the norm and that birth-control is unacceptable within the context of good, Christian living is an opinion. To order Sub-Saharan Africans to stop using condoms or face the eternal depths of hell, is an egregious crime. Keeping in mind that even the richest of these countries like South Africa has an infection rate of 18.1% of their population (aged 15-49, 2007 census by United Nations) and the poorest such as Swaziland has a 26.1% infection rate, having unprotected sex in Sub-Saharan Africa has a roughly 1 in 4 chance of being deadly through HIV/AIDS, never mind other STDs (Also keeping in mind that playing a round of Russian Roulette generally only has a 1 in 6 chance of death). Furthermore, rampant overpopulation in the region is not helped by the reported 11.6 million orphaned children due to HIV/AIDS related deaths. For the chief of the Catholic Church to state that condoms are evil and then to suggest they may even lead to increased rates of infection is a direct and undeniable contribution to the problem. Pope Benedict XVIth is therefore guilty of gross negligence, harmful propaganda and large-scale death due to carelessness.

Where is the outrage?

For some reason, this whole situation is not being decried by all (gouvernments, media, populations) and I propose a few reasons why. Firstly, rampant hypocrisy gives a positive image to the Vatican and sets aside the fact that it is partly responsible for the situation in Africa. For example, the new German Pope will soon be visiting Angola and Cameroon to urge the global population to help these poor countries out and to convince the leaders of both countries to halt their corruption. Secondly, This Pope continues a long Christian tradition of ethnocentrism which places utopian, Western values above all else and minimises the impact of policies because they don’t do much in the USA and Western Europe anyways. Indeed, the Vatican wilfully ignores the reality that Sub-Saharan Africans, Just as Asians or Americans WILL have sex except there will be very real consequences unseen elsewhere. In the meantime, North Americans do not bother themselves with Vatican anti-condom policies because 96% of American women already use some form of birth-control. Finally, this new declaration by Pope Benedict XVIth will be judged as banal by most for the simple reason that it is not original. There has been a long Catholic history of trivially demonising contraception.

Since late Antiquity, Catholicism has designated all personal pleasures a sin. In consequence, sex for any other purpose than procreation is a sin and as soon as the Vatican scientists perfect the cloning process, sex will finally be completely immoral and banned. Further on, with the invention of the birth-control pill, the mass-production of condoms and the sexual revolution of the late-sixties, a Papal stance had to be taken. In 1968, Pope Paul VIth declared all artificial contraceptives to be mortally sinful and reiterated that all forms of contraception are ‘always seriously evil’. Further on in 1997, Pope John-Paul II pursued a policy of denying real-life on goings and announced to a congress of African nations that the Condom ‘harms true love and denies the sovereign role of God in the transmission of human life.’ He also claimed to the end of his papacy that condoms would only contribute to the AIDS pandemic and prided himself on the Vatican HIV/AIDS treatment centers in the Third-World. Like his predecessors and successor, John-Paul II was not above the hypocrisy of contributing to mass-death by propaganda and carelessness yet saving face by helping those that are already infected.

Silver lining

In conclusion, I will salute the many Catholic officials that have opened their eyes to the inevitable spread of HIV/AIDS around the world without proper education on condom use (AND abstinence if one is so inclined) as well as safe-sex in general. For example, Felipe Arizmendi, a bishop of southern Mexico was almost booted out of the church in 2005 for claiming ‘If someone is incapable of controlling their instincts…they should do whatever is necessary in order not to infect others.’ In fact, many marginal members of the Church ARE contributing to the solution but the leading instances of the Vatican are firmly committed to being part of the problem.

To be clear, this is not a debate. The Popes are willingly encouraging the spread of HIV/AIDS in countries which do not have the necessary information resources to provide them with any other options. People have been sent to international tribunals for much less in history.

Something to think about your Piousness.

(Pictured - His Holiness John-Paul II was rather fond of the little saucer hat - Various American Bishops wearing their ceremonial Mitre (hat) - Pope Benedict XVIth rather likes sporting his golden Mitre AND Popemobile.)

End.