Cameroon Catholic cardinal backs condom use
-28/11/05
In a significant departure from
Cameroon Catholic cardinal backs condom use
-28/11/05
In a significant departure from the Churchís much-criticized anti-contraception position, Cardinal Christian Wiyghan Tumi of Cameroon has endorsed the use of condoms as a protective measure against HIV/AIDS – provided the couples using them are married.
ìIf a partner in a marriage is infected with HIV, the use of condoms makes sense,î the Archbishop of Douala declared in an interview with the Deutsche Presse-Agentur.
However, the 75-year-old Cardinal said he agreed with the overarching Vatican view that ìfidelity and abstention remain still the best protection against AIDS.î
The latest data indicates that around 11 per cent of people across Cameroon’s provinces are HIV positive.
Close to one million adults and children are currently living with HIV/AIDS and an estimated 210,000 children under age 14 have lost one or both parents to AIDS.
Several church leaders have now broken ranks with the Vatican’s current position.
Cardinal Georges Cottier, the theologian of the papal household, said that the biblical commandment ìThou shalt not killî should be considered in cases where sexual activity involves a partner who is HIV-positive.
Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan, who chairs the Pontifical Council for Health, believes the use of condoms to be acceptable when abstinence is not an option.
Bishop Kevin Dowling of Rustenburg, South Africa, and Archbishop Bonface Lele of Mombasa, Kenya, have expressed a similar view.
Lay Catholic groups and HIV/AIDS activists have been even more outspoken, saying that the Catholic Churchís position against condoms is ìa death sentenceî for many people.
Secularists backing the Make Poverty History campaign in Britain opposed papal involvement and the leadership of Cardinal Cormac Murphy OíConnor at a rally outside the Edinburgh G8 summit earlier this year, because of what they called the Vaticanís ìinhumanityî towards victims of the AIDS pandemic.
[Also on Ekklesia: Indian Catholic Church unveils new HIV/AIDS policy; Pope faces controversy on gay priests and HIV/AIDS; World AIDS Day; Catholic bishops defend position on condoms; Catholics say AIDS and unity are church priorities in Africa; Churches face up to world AIDS pandemic; Faith-based groups vital in HIV/AIDS work, says report; Christian-owned company produces cheap AIDS drugs; UK Catholic leaders will attend Edinburgh G8 rally]
Cameroon Catholic cardinal backs condom use
-28/11/05
In a significant departure from the Church’s much-criticized anti-contraception position, Cardinal Christian Wiyghan Tumi of Cameroon has endorsed the use of condoms as a protective measure against HIV/AIDS – provided the couples using them are married.
‘If a partner in a marriage is infected with HIV, the use of condoms makes sense,’ the Archbishop of Douala declared in an interview with the Deutsche Presse-Agentur.
However, the 75-year-old Cardinal said he agreed with the overarching Vatican view that ‘fidelity and abstention remain still the best protection against AIDS.’
The latest data indicates that around 11 per cent of people across Cameroon’s provinces are HIV positive.
Close to one million adults and children are currently living with HIV/AIDS and an estimated 210,000 children under age 14 have lost one or both parents to AIDS.
Several church leaders have now broken ranks with the Vatican’s current position.
Cardinal Georges Cottier, the theologian of the papal household, said that the biblical commandment ‘Thou shalt not kill’ should be considered in cases where sexual activity involves a partner who is HIV-positive.
Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan, who chairs the Pontifical Council for Health, believes the use of condoms to be acceptable when abstinence is not an option.
Bishop Kevin Dowling of Rustenburg, South Africa, and Archbishop Bonface Lele of Mombasa, Kenya, have expressed a similar view.
Lay Catholic groups and HIV/AIDS activists have been even more outspoken, saying that the Catholic Church’s position against condoms is ‘a death sentence’ for many people.
Secularists backing the Make Poverty History campaign in Britain opposed papal involvement and the leadership of Cardinal Cormac Murphy O’Connor at a rally outside the Edinburgh G8 summit earlier this year, because of what they called the Vatican’s ‘inhumanity’ towards victims of the AIDS pandemic.
[Also on Ekklesia: Indian Catholic Church unveils new HIV/AIDS policy; Pope faces controversy on gay priests and HIV/AIDS; World AIDS Day; Catholic bishops defend position on condoms; Catholics say AIDS and unity are church priorities in Africa; Churches face up to world AIDS pandemic; Faith-based groups vital in HIV/AIDS work, says report; Christian-owned company produces cheap AIDS drugs; UK Catholic leaders will attend Edinburgh G8 rally]