Just Say No to Bishops

From BBCNews:

Shock at archbishop condom claim

The head of the Catholic Church in Mozambique has told the BBC he believes some European-made condoms are infected with HIV deliberately.

Maputo Archbishop Francisco Chimoio claimed some anti-retroviral drugs were also infected “in order to finish quickly the African people”.

The Catholic Church formally opposes any use of condoms, advising fidelity within marriage or sexual abstinence.

Aids activists have been angered by the remarks, one calling them “nonsense”.

“We’ve been using condoms for years now, and we still find them safe,” prominent Mozambican Aids activist Marcella Mahanjane told the BBC.

(…)

Archbishop Chimoio told our reporter that abstention, not condoms, was the best way to fight HIV/Aids.

“Condoms are not sure because I know that there are two countries in Europe, they are making condoms with the virus on purpose,” he alleged, refusing to name the countries.

“They want to finish with the African people. This is the programme. They want to colonise until up to now. If we are not careful we will finish in one century’s time.”

Aids activists in the country have been shocked by the archbishop’s comments.

“Condoms are one of the best ways of getting protection against catching Aids,” said Gabe Judas, who runs Tchivirika (Hard Work) – an theatre group that promotes HIV/Aids awareness.

“People must use condoms as it’s a safe way of having sex without catching Aids,” he told the BBC.

Archbishop Chimoio, who made the remarks at celebrations to mark 43 years of independence, said that fighting the disease was a serious matter.

“If we are joking with this sickness we will be finished as soon as possible.

“If we want to change the situation to face HIV/Aids it’s necessary to have a new mentality, if we don’t change mentality we’ll be finished quickly,” he said.

“It means marriage, people being faithful to their wives… (and) young people must be abstaining from sexual relations.”

(link to article)

He has valid points. Abstention IS the best way to prevent the spread of HIV. However, that point is lost in his claim of tainted condoms. The Catholic Church has had blinders on for too long. It is my opinion that they feel that if you die from a sexually transmitted disease, then that is your punishment for your sin.

Long ago someone gave this analogy for something quite different, but it fits here, too.

A man is walking along a river and sees a child out in the water, drowning. He goes and gets the child, wraps him in a blanket, then sees another child. He rescues that one, too. Meanwhile, other people stop to help. They gather together to assist the two children when they see yet more out in the water, drowning. The first man and several others, rush out into the water to save the children, bring them ashore, where others help to dry them off, warm them, etc. And, you guessed it, more children are out in the water, drowning.

This goes on and on. Resources are limited and while outside help if arriving, they are not enough to help the growing number of children out in the river, still drowning. Not all are saved, sadly.

As in the first time I heard this, someone needs to go upstream to see why so many children are in the water. How are they getting in there? What can be done to stop them from getting into the water to begin with?

The Catholic Church doesn’t care how you get into the water. You got there through your own sins and if you can pull yourself out, they’ll help you. Good children don’t get into the swift water. If they only went upstream a little bit and see that there are things that can be done to prevent the problem…well, there’d be less people drowning.

Abstention is nearly impossible. It isn’t in our basic nature to abstain from sexual relations. I am soooo glad I am not a teen in today’s world. Surrounded by sex from all sides. Sex is used in advertising, in politics, in nightly news, in newspapers, the vast Internet is overwhelmed by it. How to abstain when surrounded by mostly positive imagery of it? “Drink our beverage and get laid!” “Eat our protein bar and get laid!” “Use our tires and get laid!”

Safe sex in literature is gone. It was so wonderfully present for a while, and now it is gone. Abstinence is rarely in literature unless it is a side-effect of something another. Purity and all that. Why can’t one be pure and still get a little sex on the side? Purity is a state of mind, not a state of body. The body can never be pure. It pees, it shits, it sweats, it grows fungus and bacteria.

Nevertheless, it is scary what this man believes. I wonder how the Catholic Church will respond?