Vidal: Pope never endorsed condoms

CEBU, Philippines – Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal calls for an end to the long-standing issue on Pope Benedict XVI's alleged change of heart in endorsing the use of condoms after a book interview with a foreign author.

In an interview after his message during Saturday's vigil for the unborn children at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral, Vidal encourages everyone to carefully understand the statement of the Pope to once and for all end the issue on his alleged endorsement of contraceptives.

For Vidal, the Pope in the interview with Peter Seewald never endorsed the use of condoms to fight AIDS.

Vidal stressed that this is what the Pope said: "We cannot solve the (AIDS) problem by distributing condoms…condoms alone do not resolve the question itself."

"Addiction on condoms implies a banalization of sexuality, which after all, is precisely the dangerous source of the attitude of no longer seeing sexuality as the expression of love but only a sort of drug that people administer to themselves," Vidal quoted the Pope as saying.

He believes that the statement of the Pope "fittingly describes the kind of culture change which the Reproductive Health Bill may create."

Vidal reiterates that "in no way did the Pope endorse the use of condoms for the prevention of AIDS."

He also hopes that through his statement for the Pope, the issue will end. He further hopes that like what happened in Europe, people will understand the statement of the Pope.

According to Vidal, the Pope affirms "that a prostitute who uses a condom has attained some realization to protect him/herself or to protect his/her partner."

However, he said this realization does not make the act right. He called it "a first step of a moral awakening and if allowed to mature, make the prostitute realize that not everything is allowed and that one cannot do what one wants."

Vidal reaffirms the Church's stand against the use of condoms.

"Because the condom itself is not the instrument of moral awakening…Using condoms is actually telling them to remain in that way of life and to continue selling their bodies, degrading them further." (FREEMAN)