Very little is talked about, or even remembered of the Holy Father’s recent visit to Africa this month except for the uproar and outrage it generated. The legacy of this visit will for a long time remain the heated debate centering on the Pope’s statement on the validity of condoms in the fight against AIDS in Africa. This continent alone is home to two thirds of AIDS cases in the world. On his way to Cameroon on March 17 2009, the Holy Father observed that AIDS “is a tragedy that cannot be overcome by money alone, and that cannot be overcome through the distribution of condoms which even aggravates the problem.”
The Pope chooses Fidelity and Chastity over Condoms
Basing his argument on what he called “the traditional teachings of the church,” the Pope insisted that chastity and fidelity provided “the only sure way of preventing the spread of HIV and AIDS.” For a long time, the Catholic Church has taken blows for its stance on issues related to birth control such as abortion, the use of contraceptives and condoms. The outrage triggered by the Pope’s remark at this very sensitive time in the life of Africa is enough indication of how much threat this pandemic presents to humanity directly and indirectly. This largely explains why reactions to the Pope’s comments were volcanic worldwide and even the Pope’s own country – Germany, re-iterated its support for the use of condoms to fight AIDS.
The depth of this outrage was reflected in the large number of dissenting voices, some of which went as far as calling for the impeachment of the Pope. The Washington Post of March 18, 2009 carried an article in which Professor Robert S. McElvaine declared “let us start a movement within the Catholic Church to impeach Pope Benedict XV1 and remove him from office.” In the eyes of devout Catholics, such a statement is tantamount to sacrilege. Such outcries, however, go a long way to expose the level of disappointment with the Pope’s anti – condom message. Like in every debate, the Holy Father had his own supporters who stood by him in the call for chastity and fidelity.
The Futility of current AIDS Debates
Debates are good when they come at the right time and when they carve out a helpful course in human destiny. What Africa definitely needs at this point is not a finger count of those who stand by the pope or those who oppose him. It is no longer about who says what. Those who have seen the ravages of AIDS in Africa will readily agree with former Cuban President Fidel Castro. “I think of Africa and its almost one billion population …. The diseases flying at the speed of airplanes proliferate at the speed of AIDS, and other old and new diseases affect its population and its crops ….” Is this really the time to campaign against condoms in Africa?
Chastity and fidelity are divine qualities. But in a world where in biblical terms “ …all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), expecting Africa’s more than one billion people with vast cultural, economic, political, historical and geographical differences, struck by plaguing poverty and illiteracy, to combat AIDS with chastity and fidelity is nothing more than wishful thinking. The real name for this is massacre. Mamphela Ramphele has addressed this issue succinctly in his book Laying Ghosts to rest: Dilemmas of the Transformation in South Africa. “Treating HIV/AIDS as any other public health challenge will have to be accompanied by public commitments by all leaders [in the] political , religious and private sectors to stand by those affected and fight stigmatization. The alternative is a downward spiral in our already high mortality rate and a further reduction in life expectancy.”
The role of the Catholic Church in the fight against AIDS is as laudable as the chastity and fidelity she preaches. Africa increasingly demands more attention in the form of care and treatment for the affected, and protection for the vulnerable. This is where condoms cannot and should never be ignored if Africa has to be rescued from the predatory claws of HIV/AIDS.
