Vatican Deplores Belgian Parliament's Criticism of Pope on Condoms

Vatican deplores Belgian parliament’s criticism of pope on condoms VATICAN CITY – The Vatican has deplored a Belgian parliamentary resolution that criticized Pope Benedict XVI for his remarks about condoms and AIDS prevention. In an April 17 statement, the Vatican’s Secretariat of State said it “deplores the fact that a parliamentary assembly should have thought it appropriate to criticize the Holy Father on the basis of an isolated extract from an interview, separated from its context and used by some groups with a clear intent to intimidate.” The statement said it appeared that those groups were hoping “to dissuade the pope from expressing himself on certain themes of obvious moral relevance and from teaching the church’s doctrine.” The Belgian parliament voted overwhelmingly April 2 to have the government relay to the Vatican the parliamentarians’ disapproval of Pope Benedict’s statement March 17 that distributing condoms was not the key to preventing AIDS. The Belgian ambassador to the Holy See, Frank E. de Coninck, met April 15 at the Vatican with Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for relations with states, to formally inform the Vatican of the resolution. The Secretariat of State said that it “notes with regret this action, unusual in the context of the diplomatic relations existing between the Holy See and the kingdom of Belgium.” The pope was asked about condoms in AIDS prevention by reporters aboard his flight to Cameroon March 17. After highlighting the church’s efforts to help AIDS victims, the pope said: “One cannot overcome the problem with the distribution of condoms. On the contrary, they increase the problem.” The pope went on to explain that true prevention requires a change in sexual behavior and a real effort to befriend and care for those living with AIDS. In its statement April 17, the Secretariat of State said the pope “also emphasized the commitment of the church in both these areas. Without this moral and educational dimension, the battle against AIDS will not be won.” “While in some European countries an unprecedented media campaign was unleashed concerning the predominant, not to say exclusive, value of prophylactics in the fight against AIDS, it is consoling to note that the moral considerations articulated by the Holy Father were understood and appreciated, in particular by the Africans and true friends of Africa, as well as by some members of the scientific community,” the statement said. In the midst of the debate about the pope’s comments on condoms, Vatican officials and the Vatican newspaper cited several studies by researchers and by international agencies, including the World Health Organization, showing that the most effective anti-AIDS campaigns in Africa have been based on efforts to promote abstinence and fidelity in sexual relations. Edward C. Green, director of the AIDS Prevention Research Project at the Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies, told National Review Online March 25 that “the best evidence we have supports the pope’s comments.” Green said when an individual uses a condom thinking it will reduce the risk of exposure to HIV that person may also take part in riskier behavior and take greater chances than one would take without condoms, for example, by having multiple and concurrent sexual partners. Kudos for Bishop D’Arcy’s Notre Dame stance There has been much coverage concerning the decision of the University of Notre Dame to not only invite President Obama to speak at its 2009 commencement ceremony but also bestow on him an honorary doctor of laws degree from the university. I fail to understand how this so-called Catholic university can justify its decision to honor someone who not only supports abortion but also seeks to expand federal funding of embryonic stem-cell research. I was pleased to read (CR, April 2) that Bishop John M. D’Arcy of Fort Wayne-South Bend has decided not to attend the 2009 commencement ceremony and trust that more and more Catholics will support his decision. Don’t confuse honors with a political dinner Concerning the flap about inviting and honoring President Barack Obama at Notre Dame, I was disappointed with Father Reese’s comparison to Cardinal Egan. Father Reese neglected to mention that the Al Smith Dinner was not an occasion to bestow an honor, and that Notre Dame is bestowing an honorary doctorate degree on the president. The comparison is not well-crafted. The Al Smith Dinner invited both Republican and Democratic candidates to state their case; but Notre Dame is singling our President Obama for an honor, not merely to talk. Good for the position by the local bishop, who appreciates when not to reward support for an intrinsic moral evil. Which distinction also undercuts the attempt to make the appearance of President Bush comparable? While the death penalty is generally opposed by the church, see the Catechism section 2266 and 2267, it does not rise to the level of the intrinsic moral evil that abortion and embryonic stem-cell research maintain, while shamefully enjoying support from so many self-proclaimed Catholic legislators. Catholic institutions should not honor Obama While the church does oppose the death penalty except in the gravest of circumstances, I disagree with Patrick Weadon’s assertions in his letter (CR, April 2) regarding President Barack Obama speaking at Notre Dame. He is implying that President (then Governor) Bush’s presiding over lawful executions is the immoral equivalent of President Obama’s blatant support of abortion. Capital punishment and abortion are very different. In our country, executions occur only for the most heinous crimes, and are quite rare. We have an extremely thorough judicial system that ensures a lengthy appeal process for the convicted. Persons who are on death row have placed themselves there by their own free will, choosing to commit a capital offense. On the other hand, abortion has killed millions and millions of innocent babies. They never received their day in court. They were condemned for simply being an inconvenience. President Obama is wrong on the issue of abortion. His enthusiastic mission to spread this evil in our country, and throughout the world, is an outrage. He, or anyone that hold his views on this most fundamental issue, must never be honored by any institution that calls itself Catholic. Franciscans ready to celebrate 800th anniversary of order’s founding VATICAN CITY – Some 1,800 Franciscan friars from all over the world were expected to converge on the Umbrian hill town of Assisi, Italy, to celebrate the 800th anniversary of papal approval of the Franciscan rule. For the first time, representatives from the four main Franciscan branches were to meet in Assisi – the birthplace of their founder, St. Francis – to take part in an International Chapter of Mats April 15-18. A Chapter of Mats gets its name from the time in 1221 St. Francis called more than 3,000 friars to the Portiuncula chapel in Assisi for a general meeting or chapter. Because the small town could not accommodate the large number of visitors, the friars lived in huts made out of reeds and slept on mats, said Father Jose Rodriguez Carballo, minister general of the Order of Friars Minor. The three other Franciscan groups participating are the Capuchins, the Conventual Franciscans and the Third Order Regular Franciscans. The chapter falls on the 800th anniversary of the formal founding of the Franciscan order when St. Francis presented his rule to Pope Innocent III for approval in 1209. During a press conference April 7 at Vatican Radio, Father Rodriguez underlined the spiritual nature of the gathering and said organizers hope it will be an occasion for “coming together as a family, offering the church and the world our witness of brotherhood and celebrating our beginnings.” With days dedicated to testimonials, penance, fasting, prayer and pilgrimage, the gathering will also be a call to conversion and to live the Gospel as St. Francis asked his disciples to, the minister general said. Men and women religious will have an occasion to profess their continued fidelity to the pope when they meet with Pope Benedict XVI April 18 during a special audience at Castel Gandolfo, he said. St. Francis, who was born to a wealthy family in Assisi sometime around 1181, dedicated himself to the poor and preached living a way of peace. He founded three religious orders – the Friars Minor, the Poor Clares, and the Brothers and Sisters of Penance – giving each one a special rule. The orders evolved over time and today include: – The first order, which is made up of three separate bodies – the Friars Minor, the Conventual Franciscans and the Capuchins. – The second order, the Poor Clares, which includes all monasteries of cloistered nuns professing the Rule of St. Clare as well as the Sisters of the Annunciation and the Conceptionists. – The third order, which is made up of the Third Order Regular Franciscans, a secular order and new foundations. Father Rodriguez said while the Franciscan branches are juridically separate from one another they are united spiritually and collaborate on a number of projects around the world. Instead of considering the orders as divided, he said they represent the diversity and plurality in the world. “The Franciscan order flows from a very rich charism” that can find expression in many people and places, he said. There are also countless groups, including Anglicans, Lutherans and Presbyterians, who find inspiration in St. Francis and live according to his rule, he said. Even some Buddhists and Muslims have a special devotion to the Franciscan St. Anthony of Padua, Capuchin Father Mariano Steffan said at the April 7 press conference. The Franciscan charism “is very open; it doesn’t make distinctions, create barriers or segregate,” he said.

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