La Civilta Cattolica: No Change in the Church's stance on Condoms.

No change in the Church's stance on Condoms.

From Sandro Magister:

[This] article published in the latest issue of “La Civiltà Cattolica” [which is printed under the supervision of the Vatican authorities] is an implicit response to the expectations for a change in the Church’s stance, beginning with the specific case illustrated by cardinal Martini.

And the answer is in the negative. Not only does the article make no direct reference to condoms, but it demonstrates that the Church’s activity is directed in an entirely different direction, which can be summed up in the word “chastity.” It maintains that the Church would do nothing but harm if its efforts in combating AIDS “seemed to support promiscuous, excessive, and destructive behavior.”

That this is also Benedict XVI’s thought is beyond all doubt. At the same time as “La Civiltà Cattolica” was publishing its article, the pope referred twice – in addresses on May 11 and 13 – to the encyclical “Humanae Vitae” by Paul VI, describing it as “prophetic and always relevant.”

[More...]

Magister publishes a substantial translation of the original article published in Italian:

“La Civiltà Cattolica,” the journal of the Rome Jesuits that is printed under the supervision of the Vatican authorities, doesn’t usually post to its website the complete text of all of the articles published in each of its editions.

It does so only with one or two of its less significant articles, which are usually dedicated to art or literature. But there are exceptions. In the case of an important editorial, or of another article also held to be significant, “La Civiltà Cattolica” immediately puts the entire text online, in order to bring the thinking of leading Church authorities to a wider audience.

This was done with an article dedicated to AIDS in Africa and to the Church’s efforts to combat it, published in the most recent edition of the magazine.

Why was this done? Presumably because during the preceding weeks there had been worldwide coverage of the controversy over the Church and AIDS, and in particular over the question of whether or not the use of condoms should be permitted.

The dispute was reignited by remarks from cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, and by later indiscreet comments about a possible Vatican document on the topic.

A Jesuit comes into the debate to save a Jesuit:

Cardinal Martini is a Jesuit. And the Jesuits have been for years among the most active in fighting AIDS in Africa, in almost thirty sub-Saharan countries.

The author of the article in “La Civiltà Cattolica” is also a Jesuit: Fr. Michael F. Czerny, director of the African Jesuit AIDS Network, AJAN, founded in 2002 with headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. He is also the author of the book “AIDS and the Church in Africa: To Shepherd the Church, Family of God in Africa in the Age of AIDS,” published in Nairobi in 2005 by Pauline Publications Africa.

Magister has large excerpts from the article by Fr. Czerny, "AIDS, the greatest threat to Africa since the time of the slave trade."

CNA has a short summary of this most recente development in the debate.

My AP page on this debate has several articles explaining why the Church cannot change its teaching.

Click here for a partial list of the postings I've written on this debate.