Dani Garavelli on the "Condom Conundrum"

Dani Garavelli, a journalist at the Scotsman's Sunday paper - the Scotland on Sunday - wrote a piece today on the whole debacle about one of the Pope's responses in the book-interview Light of the World. Garavelli often comments on Catholic affairs because she herself is Catholic. One only needs to read one article to realise that she is of the liberal persuasion but nevertheless she is honest. Here is an example:

THE way the world has reacted to Pope Benedict XVI's "reassessment" of his position on condoms last week you would be forgiven for thinking he'd whole-heartedly embraced them and was now personally dispensing them from his Popemobile. The truth is far more prosaic and predictable. [...] Not only did the Pope confine his qualified acceptance of condom use to those involved in the sex trade, he seemed to be motivated not by a desire to protect those at risk, but by the hope that the act of putting one on might signal the start of a journey that would eventually lead to a more chaste lifestyle.

I am glad that she has written this even though she's on the other side of the fence, so to speak. It's important for people to realise that what they think has been said is in fact not what has been said. It's always good when the people who disagree with you understand what you are saying. 

So far, I've avoided mentioning the whole affair as I thought it more prudent to wait and see what would happen. I must say that, like many others, I have been disappointed with the official response to the misunderstanding being proclaimed in the mainstream media. The most difficult things to read were quotes from aid agencies who clearly were looking to misread what the Pope was saying and so use it as justification for the distribution of condoms. Those without access to unbiased media would have very little on which to base any counterargument. For this reason, I hoped for a greater response from Church officials on this. On other less important issues, their response is often more than adequate. Sadly, this time it wasn't the case.

V. Oremus pro Pontifice nostro Benedicto.
R. Dominus conservet eum, et vivificet eum, et beatum faciat eum in terra, et non tradat eum in animam inimicorum eius.
Pater noster. Ave Maria.
Deus, omnium fidelium pastor et rector, famulum tuum Benedictum, quem pastorem Ecclesiae tuae praeesse voluisti, propitius respice: da ei, quaesumus, verbo et exemplo, quibus praeest, proficere: ut ad vitam, una cum grege sibi credito, perveniat sempiternam. Per Christum, Dominum nostrum. Amen.