Is the Pope wrong about condoms?

Roland Martin thinks so. In response to the Pope’s statement with regard to HIV/AIDS that “You can’t resolve it with the distribution of condoms. On the contrary, it increases the problem.” Martin responds “People are having sex. Catholics are having sex. Heck, some Catholic priests have abandoned their oath and have had sex. As a layman and the husband of a pastor, I know the difference between utopia and reality, and it is the responsibility of the faith community to deal with the real world. And frankly, Pope Benedict clearly shows he doesn’t get it.”

He then compares the Pope’s statement to telling people they don’t need to wear a seat belt when they drive, or labels as hypocrisy the fact that the Pope uses bodyguards when in public and then asks the rhetorical question “So how are condoms any different?”

Well, Mr. Martin, the issue is quite a bit different. Your analogies equate driving or going out in public with sex outside of marriage. But the Catholic Church doesn’t teach that driving or public appearances are sinful, unlike sex outside of marriage, so your analogies fall apart without further ado.

But the real question as the heart of this matter is this; When you teach that behavior A is acceptable and behavior B is not, but then you say “But if you engage in behavior B make sure you do such and such to protect yourself” do you end up indirectly encouraging behavior B? If not, then the Pope’s statement is counter-productive. But if this principle is true, then the Pope’s statement is productive in terms of diminishing cases of HIV/AIDS.

It appears to be the Pope’s opinion that if you tell someone “Don’t have sex outside of marriage, but if you do wear a condom” the message you are really giving is “It’s not that bad to have sex outside of marriage.” The Pope believes that if you send that message, you will end up with more cases of HIV/AIDS, regardless of how people are educated about safe sex and regardless of how many condoms are handed out. You may disagree with the Pope’s opinion that delivering the first message equates to delivering the second, and you may believe that education on safe sex and handing out condoms will decrease cases of HIV/AIDS, but if that is the case you’re making, then make it with facts, rather than assumptions. Maybe a closer examination of the facts would reveal that the Pope “gets it” after all.