Condom uproar latest message problem for pope

From the Gospel to Google, the church has been seeking ways to announce the word of Christ for 2,000 years.

Pope Benedict XVI found himself under attack when flying to Africa after he told reporters that condoms would not resolve the AIDS problem but, on the contrary, increase it.

The statement was condemned by France, Germany and the U.N. agency charged with fighting AIDS as irresponsible and dangerous.
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The pope was not taken by surprise by the question.

Ever since he apparently misspoke about the excommunication of Mexican lawmakers on a trip to Brazil in 2007, the Vatican asks reporters to submit questions in advance and then makes a selection, giving Benedict time to prepare
a response.

The 81-year-old Benedict doesn’t mingle with reporters individually but stands before them in the rear section of the plane, flanked by aides, and responds drily to the questions.

Top church officials have rallied to Benedict’s side. Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, head of the Italian Bishops Conference, said the criticism “has gone beyond good sense.”

While opposition to condoms is a long-standing church position, the Vatican felt constrained to step in and said Benedict wanted to stress that a reliance on condoms distracted from the need for education in sexual conduct.

The first controversy of Benedict’s papacy came in 2006 when the pope’s remarks on Islam and holy war angered much of the Muslim world, leading him to backtrack and declare he was “deeply sorry.”

He continues to say that religion must distance itself from violence, but no longer points a finger at any faith.

The Rev. Thomas Reese, a Vatican expert at the Woodstock Theological Center in Washington, said Benedict deserves praise for admitting mistakes, apologizing and explaining.

But he also said that as a church leader and a world leader the pope has to communicate in an understandable and persuasive way. “Benedict does not understand how to communicate in the 21st century,” Reese said.