A perfect example of liberal spin on Martini's comments

Martini's position is wrong, and he should have refrained from making his dissenting comments in such a public forum, but in the hands of the press, his erroneous thinking is only compounded.

A perfect example of this is an article in the Toronto Star entitled "Cardinal backs use of condoms" with one of the sub-headlines reading "[Cardinal] Directly contradicts Vatican in interview":

Some quotes:

A man once seen as a possible replacement for Pope John Paul II has broken with the Vatican and publicly backed the use of condoms by married couples to prevent the spread of AIDS.

Married couples, he said, have a responsibility to protect each other.

"Therefore, using a condom would be considered a minor sin and in particular in the case of married couples where the use of a prophylactic would protect the partner and ultimately themselves."

The statement is in direct contradiction to the Vatican's position, which holds that condoms should never be used, even to stop AIDS spreading from one married partner to another.

Martini, considered at the time as a close runner-up in last year's papal election, appeared to break with the Vatican on this issue as well [abstinence and chastity being the best remedy to the epidemic of STDs].

(Here comes my favorite part - the "expert" interviews:)

The Vatican has not commented on Martini's statements, but Suzanne Scorsone, research director with the Archdiocese of Toronto, said the cardinal's comments are not likely to change the Vatican's position, but will form part of the ongoing debate on the issue.

"There are many things that are true and valid, but sometimes some of them come into collision," she told the Star.

Calling Martini an "exceedingly well-informed and exceedingly well-respected figure," Scorsone said he appears to be opening the door to condom use for only a select group — married couples in which one has AIDS.

Rev. John Perry, a Jesuit priest and a professor of religious studies at the University of Manitoba, said there is a growing school of thought in the Catholic church of "double affects," that a single action can have more than one impact. Using a condom is one such act, he said, and is likely what Martini, himself a Jesuit, had in mind in making his comments.

And there are currently over 235 online articles saying substancially the same thing (I'm not counting LifeNews and Catholic News Agency in that total of course).