Vatican: Prostitutes' use of condoms is not a lesser evil

Remarks by Pope Benedict XVI in a book published in November do not represent a change in Catholic teaching against the use of condoms, nor do they imply that it is a "lesser evil" for prostitutes to use condoms in order to prevent HIV/AIDS infection, the Vatican said Tuesday, dpa reported.

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) said it had issued the note to prevent continued misinterpretation of the pontiff's words as they appeared in the interview-book: Light of the World.

Some Church conservatives, had "lamented" the pontiff's remarks, while pro-condom activists, had "welcomed," them, the note said.

Both reactions stemmed from misinterpreting Benedict's words as signaling a "break" with the (Catholic) doctrine concerning contraception and with the Church's stance in the fight against AIDS, the note added.

"In reality, the words of the pope which specifically concern a gravely disordered type of human behaviour, namely prostitution, do not signify a change in Catholic moral teaching or in the pastoral practice of the Church," it said.

Benedict in the book points out that the use of a condom "with the intention of reducing the risk of infection, can be a first step in a movement towards a different way, a more human way, of living sexuality."

"The Holy Father did not say as some people have claimed that prostitution with the use of a condom can be chosen as a lesser evil ... However, those involved in prostitution who are HIV positive and who seek to diminish the risk of contagion by the use of a condom may be taking the first step in respecting the life of another even if the evil of prostitution remains in all its gravity," the CDF said.

The spread of AIDS in many parts of the world has made the problem of prostitution "even more serious," said the CDF, which acts as the Vatican's watchdog on moral issues.

"In this context however, it cannot be denied that anyone who uses a condom in order to diminish the risk posed to another person is intending to reduce the evil connected with his or her immoral activity," it added.