Pope Partly Endorses Condoms

Could the Catholic Church be rethinking its hard-line contraception policy? Pope Benedict seemed to soften the Catholic Church’s famous opposition to condoms in a series of interviews with a German journalist to be published in a book Tuesday. While the pope said the church is “fundamentally against the use of condoms,” Benedict said they might be the first step “on the way to another, more humane sexuality” in cases with high risks of HIV infection. The Catholic Church has been widely criticized for its opposition to the use of condoms in Africa, where they are viewed as the most effective solution to slowing the spread of HIV/AIDS.