Vatican rejects Belgium's protest of Pope's statement on AIDS and condoms
April 17, 2009
Reacting sharply to a Belgian government statement condemning Pope Benedict's remarks on condoms and AIDS, the Vatican Secretariat of State has issued a public rebuke.
On April 15 the Belgian ambassador to the Holy See, acting on instructions from his nation's parliament, formally delivered a message to "condemn the unacceptable statements of the Pope on the occasion of his journey to Africa and to protest officially to the Holy See." The Secretariat of State issued its reply on April 17, rejecting the Belgian criticism.
The Vatican response "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, as if to dissuade the Pope from expressing himself on certain themes of obvious moral relevance and from teaching the Church’s doctrine."
Reiterating the fundamental message that the Pope had intended to convey, the Vatican said that efforts to curb the AIDS epidemic must include clear moral guidance, and without that guidance "the battle against AIDS will not be won." The statement pointed out that the Catholic Church has also been in the vanguard of efforts to help AIDS victims, showing "true friendship and willingness to help persons who are suffering."
The Vatican statement noted that while the Pope's message was greeted by hostility in "an unprecedented media campaign" in Europe, the reaction in Africa was quite different. The Pope's cautions, the statement observed, "were understood and appreciated, in particular by the Africans and the true friends of Africa."
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Further information:
- Comunicato della Segreteria di Stato (Vatican statement/English translation)
- Vatican deplores Belgian censure of pope on condoms (Reuters)
- Vatican decries reaction to pope's condom remarks (AP)
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