Talkback: HIV, Catholics and Condoms - 30/04/2006

You may have heard this week that the Catholic Church is considering whether it should change its stance on the use of condoms.

Has the church at last succumbed to the sexual revolution? Hardly. The critical factor is the continuing spread of AIDS.

This week it has emerged that several cardinals including the much respected Cardinal Martini, have suggested that the church should be more flexible, others continue to oppose any change.

What do you think? If you are a practicing Catholic, do you take church teaching on such matters seriously, or do you ignore it? If you are not a Catholic what do you think of the position taken by your religious tradition? If you are not religious what do you think of the various moral arguments?

Press reports during the week indicated that the Vatican may be reconsidering the church’s stance on the use of condoms to help stop the spread of HIV/AIDS. The story was kicked along by the appearance of an article in the weekly Roman paper ‘L’Espresso’ last week, from one of the church’s most distinguished prelates, and former archbishop of Milan, Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini.

The cardinal expresses the view that in cases of spouses where one of them is infected with AIDS condoms may be considered a ‘Lesser Evil’.

Martini is joined in upholding the moral tolerability of condoms as ‘the lesser evil’ in the context of AIDS by at least four other cardinals: Cardinal George Cottier, theologian of the Papal household under John Paul II; Cardinal Godfriend Daneels of Belgium; Cardinal Javier Lozaro Barragan, President of the Pontifical Council on Pastoral Health; Cardinal Cormac Murphy O’Connor of Westminster, England; as well as Bishop Kevin Dowling of South Africa.

So what is happening, and if change is afoot, on what basis shall it occur? Is not the teaching of the church both strident and definitive on this matter? Well to take your calls and to help us understand what’s going on and how such matters may be understood, we will be joined in just a moment by one of Australia’s best known Jesuit Theologians, Fr Bill Uren, Chaplain at Newman College at the University of Melbourne.

I must say however, that despite our best efforts, we have found it surprisingly difficult to find a spokesperson from the traditional pro-life groups to talk with us on this topic tonight. Both my producer, Noel Debien, and I have had numerous conversations with representatives of several such groups both in Australia and overseas in the past few days and none have been able to find a willing voice on the issue for this evenings program.

Guests in this story:

Bill Uren S.J.
Rector of Newman College Melbourne, Jesuit Priest, former President of the Catholic Moral Theologians' Society of Australia and New Zealand
Brian Haill
President of the Australian Aids fund
bhaill@bigpond.net.au

Further information:

Bill Uren on condoms and Catholic policy
http://www.aids.net.au/us-catholic-condoms.htm

The Australian Aids fund
http://www.aids.net.au/

Cardinal: Condoms 'Lesser Evil' Than AIDS (Martini in the Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/21/AR2006042101117.html

Vatican preparing statement on condoms
Article in the Australian
http://www.smh.com.au/news/WORLD/Vatican-preparing-statement-on-condoms/2006/04/24/1145730834728.html

Carlo Maria Martini’s “Day After”
Article in Chiesa (Sandro Magister's column)
http://www.chiesa.espressonline.it/dettaglio.jsp?id=53021&eng=y

When Does Life Begin? Cardinal Martini Replies
http://www.chiesa.espressonline.it/dettaglio.jsp?id=51790&eng=y

The principle of double effect
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principle_of_double_effect