The condom debate is back - and this time, it's official

Cardinal Barragan has been busy:

The Vatican is proceeding with an in-depth study on the use of condoms to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.

At a November 21 press conference in Rome, Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan revealed that the Pontifical Council on Health Care, which he heads, has finished a detailed report on the scientific aspects of the issue. That report is now being studied by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, he said. [source]

The Associated Press adds more:

We have prepared a detailed study on condoms from both the scientific and moral points of view and we have passed our study on to the Congregation for the Faith," Barragan said. "Now the dossier is being studied by that office and then it will go before the pope."

Barragan said that Pope Benedict XVI is "greatly concerned" by the issue and that the dossier was prepared at his request.

And of course, Cardinal Martini's intervention concludes the AP's report (Martini, of course, is still being referred to as a papal contender to increase his visibility):

But several leading churchmen have spoken out on the issue in recent years as the Vatican has come under increasing criticism for its position. Some - such as a one-time papal contender, retired Milan Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini - say that condoms were the "lesser evil" in combatting the spread of AIDS. Other cardinals, however, have rejected their argument - an indication that the issue is still undecided at the Vatican.

Reuters has a more complete treatment, albiet an oddly phrased headline ("Pope-commissioned condom study passes first hurdle" ... "hurdle"? Is that supposed to imply it was being opposed?):

A study commissioned by Pope Benedict on the use of condoms to fight AIDS has passed its first hurdle and is now being reviewed by top theologians for possible use in a Papal document, a cardinal said on Tuesday.

"This is something that worries the Pope a lot," said Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan, head of the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Health Pastoral Care.

... His department had completed a 200-page study ...

... The study, which would not be made public, would then be passed on to the Pope, who may use it for his own pronouncement.

"First, we must consider if there is a need for an answer (on the use of condoms) at the supreme level," he said.

... "We hope the theologians and the Holy Father will say what is best regarding this subject ... but no response from the Church can be one that encourages a libertine sexual attitude," he said.

... the Vatican has been loath to issue any document that could be interpreted as a green light for the use of condoms to stop the spread of AIDS, fearing it would endorse promiscuity.

Brace yourselves for a new wave of article proclaiming the Church is revisiting its teaching on condoms (or contraception in general)... or maybe they've learned their lesson? Either way, I'll be watching.

AmP covered Martini's comments on allowing condoms to HIV-infected couples earlier this year. There is a permanent page here with several expert articles from the National Catholic Bioethics Quarterly and Christian Order explaining the issues involved. There is also a complete list of all AmP posts on this debate.

Update: The press release from the Vatican Information Service is available here.