[Bigdaddydvo]

[ QUOTE ]
MG,

Took a quick look. Nope. We are looking for articles that says the Catholic Church’s teaching in 3rd world countries exacerbating the spread of HIV. That is Phil’s position. He is pretty reliable, so I am concerned that it is an issue that I have yet to hear of. I think he might be mistaken here though (chez had a misread today - might be a full moon or something). We’ll see.

RJT

[/ QUOTE ]

I remember someone on the boards made the asinine assertion last spring after JPII's death that he was responsible for millions of AIDS cases in Africa because he wouldn't endorse condom use. This contention is laughable. People like this conveniently forget that if everyone in Africa followed Church teaching completely, that AIDS would not exist. This apparently must be the mentality of the average tribesman: "OK, I'm going to sleep with ten women this week in my villiage, but I better not use a condom because the Church considers it a sin." If said villiager follows Church teachings completely, he is not sleeping with anyone until he is married, and after that marriage, only with his wife. Complete compliance with Church teaching=no AIDS. Unfortunately, Church critics must conjure unrealistic scenerios where African men follow some Church teachings while dismissing the rest to explain the AIDS epidemic.