Condoms and the Catholic Church
Re “AIDS lunacy,” editorial, Sept. 29
Although there are many fine things to say about the Roman Catholic Church, there are enough dark holes in its history to make one weep. For centuries, the church has dealt horrible blows to those it sees as expendable populations -- European Jews, Protestants and now the Catholic population in Africa, which is in a death struggle with AIDS. That the church can allow the sacrifice of human life in the name of its doctrines against birth control and the use of condoms to combat sexually transmitted disease is a tragedy of cosmic proportions.
It’s outrageous that the archbishop of Mozambique can be allowed by the church in its silence to let his people die rather than let them use condoms. Is this just another example of an expendable population that the church can ignore?
Sara Cannon
Santa Monica
To suggest that the Vatican is accountable for the AIDS epidemic in Mozambique because it faults the use of condoms is terribly flawed reasoning. Only about 20% of that country’s population is Catholic. The faithful among these most likely are not the promiscuous people spreading AIDS, conscious as they are of that obvious overriding moral issue.
The irresponsible citizens who are the spreaders of AIDS, perhaps even some nominal Catholics, could not care less what the Vatican says.
John N. Heil
Los Angeles
There seems to be a certain element of this editorial that isn’t considered -- that promiscuity cannot be curtailed by the use of condoms.
This might account for the lack of lasting bonds and marriages in Africa, the United States and many other societies. Mutual respect is not created for lasting relationships by the use of condoms.
Further, the more that children are the progeny of wholesome family units, the more society will benefit. Not every person who pursues abstinence before marriage will fail in that endeavor.
Education toward this aim is also a consideration because it helps prepare for a good marriage better than the use of condoms would.
Marriage is still a desirable union for humanity, is it not?
Nod Mulville
Pacific Palisades