The Pope still opposes the use of condoms for birth control. I disagree with him on that, but not with his right to say it.

For the first few years of his papacy, Benedict really didn't say much about condoms, except for a one-line reply to a question a reporter asked on an airplane. Then a few months ago, he did give a more lengthy statement, agreeing that condoms can be effective against AIDS. He said that there are situations of HIV risk where the use of a condom may be the appropriate choice.

However, this was a reasoned statement that took up a few paragraphs, and didn't fit into a sound bite. As a result, nobody noticed that he said something that was a significant departure from what was said by his predecessors. No, it was not a blanket approval of condoms - but it was a reasonable compromise.

-Joe-