Pope signals shift away from Catholic church's prohibition of condoms

"A landmark shift in the Catholic church's hardline position on the use of condoms is in the offing following reports Pope Benedict XVI has said in a new book that their use can be justified in some cases, such as for male prostitutes seeking to prevent the spread of HIV.

The pontiff makes the comments in a book-length interview with a German journalist, "Light of the World: The Pope, the Church and the Signs of the Times," which is due to be published on Tuesday.

Church teaching has long opposed condoms on the basis that they are a form of artificial contraception, while the Vatican has been harshly criticised for its position given the AIDS crisis.

Benedict says in the book that, for male prostitutes for whom contraception isn't a central issue, condoms are not a moral solution.

However, in comments that are likely to be be pored over in the coming days by Catholics around the world, as well as others, he also says that condoms could be justified "in the intention of reducing the risk of infection."

via guardian.co.uk/read more