RAPE AND RELIGION
Catholic church - Yes, to condoms to stop HIV 
South African Catholic Paper Supports Condom Proposal Agence France Presse (07.16.01)

A Roman Catholic newspaper in South Africa has expressed support for the proposal of a local bishop to lift the church's ban on condoms to halt the stem of HIV/AIDS. The Southern Cross newspaper says condoms provide one way, "albeit an imperfect one," of stemming the AIDS epidemic. "The church is called to reconcile its total ban on prophylactics with the philosophy of the sanctity of life," stated a recent Southern Cross editorial. Earlier this month, Bishop Kevin Dowling said the AIDS crisis in South Africa, where an estimated 4.7 million people are infected with HIV, required that the Catholic Church challenge people to act responsibly by using condoms and "not transmitting death."
The condom proposal is likely to spark an outcry in the church, which opposes the use of condoms and disapproves of sex before marriage. The proposal is part of a draft policy on combating HIV/AIDS that is to be discussed by the Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference next week. If accepted, the proposal is to be published as an official pastoral statement.
The Southern Cross newspaper said that Dowling's comments should be seen as an attempt to balance Catholic doctrine with the needs of the church to be compassionate toward the most vulnerable people in society. "Bishop Kevin Dowling's contribution to this debate ... articulates what many Catholics, including moral theologians, have been reasoning for a long time," it said.

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