OK, so there you have it. Quite different from the Reuters one-liner, isn't it? No, I still don't agree with it, but it's certainly not a heartless condemnation of AIDS victims to death.

The Catholic Church has officially opposed all forms of contraception forever, or maybe longer. In the late 1960's, there was a lot of hope that Pope Paul VI would change that position. But then came Humanae Vitae, the Encyclical Letter of Pope Paul VI on the Regulation of Birth (July 25, 1968). After that, it was clear that there was no hope that Rome would ever change its position on birth control. Humane Vitae isn't heartless, either - in many ways, it's a wonderful statement on the beauty of sexual intercourse within the context of marriage. But in other ways, it's hopelessly idealistic and unrealistic.

But maybe, in a backwards sort of way, Rome's refusal to accept contraception was a very healthy event for lay Catholics. For the vast majority of Catholics in most parts of the world, it became clear that the statements of the Pope on certain subjects just weren't realistic. For the first time, it became clear to Catholics that they had to make their own decisions on some matters, even though that might be in contradiction with the wishes of the Pope. Since then, worldwide statistics have shown that Catholics have largely ignored the Pope's statements on contraception, and their use of birth control devices is roughly the same as that of their non-Catholic neighbors. Perhaps this is meant to show us that obedience to authority is not the point of religious faith.

What the Pope says about condoms and fidelity is hopelessly idealistic and unrealistic - so were a lot of things that Christ said. Maybe it's good to have the ideal presented to us, even though we can't adhere to it absolutely. Maybe it wasn't intended for us to adhere to anything absolutely, and the problem is our human tendency to believe in absolutes. Jesus himself was really hard on the Pharisees and their belief in exact adherance to the Law.

So, the statements of the Pope took an advisory role, not a dictatorial one - and I have to say I think that's healthy. Still, I like the idea of having a pope hold out the ideal of marital fidelity, even though I didn't find it to be practical to be celibate the ten years I was single after a divorce. I also find it helpful to have somebody speak for the ideal of having sexual intercourse open to the possibility of conception, even though I have a vasectomy in 1978 after I found that having more than 3 children just wouldn't work.

So, it's interesting to see non-Catholics mount a campaign against the Pope's opposition to birth control, so long after most Catholics have chosen just to ignore him.

But as far as this idea of mailing condoms to the Pope as a protest - I think it's a waste of perfectly good condoms. Send them to some agency that will distribute them in Africa. Better yet, send a donation and the agency will be able to buy a dozen condoms for the cost of your sending one. The Pope is unlikely to have any need for them.

For that matter, you can send the condoms to me - I know some Catholic nuns who will give them to people who need them.

-Joe-