AIDS, Pope Benedict XVI told reporters, “is a tragedy that cannot be overcome by money alone, and that cannot be overcome through the distribution of condoms, which even aggravates the problems.”
It’s an interesting contrast with Rick Warren’s approach. The Saddleback website explains, “We can’t prevent many other diseases that plague mankind, but we know how abstinence, monogamy, and condoms can go a long way toward stopping HIV in its tracks.”
While agreeing that stopping AIDS requires abstinence, they nonetheless urge condom use too and created a handy acronym, S.L.O.W. for how to halt the spread of AIDS, the “S” being “Supply condoms and eventually microbicides for everyone.” (The others: Limit the number of partners. Offer needle exchange. Wait for sexual debut.)
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Warren has said that while “I’m not going to give a condom to a kid” he does support distributing condoms to prostitutes in Africa and India in part because, “I want to keep them alive long enough that I can win them to Christ,” he told WorldNet. “If they’re dead, it’s too late. The good news is only good news if it gets there in time.”