Palace goads Church: Soften stand on RH after Pope's words

The Catholic Church should soften its stance on reproductive health (RH) after Pope Benedict XVI said over the weekend that condom use is acceptable in certain cases, a Palace official said Monday. In a report by the Associated Press on Sunday, the Pope was quoted as saying that while condoms are not a moral solution to halting the spread of AIDS, using the male contraceptive could represent a "first step" in assuming moral responsibility "in the intention of reducing the risk of infection" in some cases such as for “male prostitutes." Ricky Carandang, head of the Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning office, said Monday the Pope’s statement on condom use was a “good step." In an ambush interview with Palace reporters, Carandang said: “I think our own clergy should be informed by the views of the Vatican because they’ve always referred to the Vatican when they state their position. Now that the Vatican’s position is such, then I think that should result in a corresponding flexibility on the part of our own church." “The local church cannot be more pope-ish than the Pope," said Carandang. The Pope’s statements will "absolutely" boost the campaign of RH advocates who are pushing for the passage of the controversial Reproductive Health bill that espouses the use of both natural and artificial family planning methods, he said. The Catholic Church is against artificial contraceptives such as condoms and birth control pills, the uses of which are viewed as encouraging sexual promiscuity. Asked whether he thinks the Pope’s latest statement gives President Benigno Aquino III's position on responsible parenthood a boost, Carandang said: “I think so." While Aquino is against abortion, he believes the government should inform couples on all family planning methods, both natural and artificial, available today. He said the government will distribute contraceptives to poor couples. Church leaders in the Philippines, however, have indicated they will continue to oppose condom use despite the Pope’s statement. Retired Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz said that RH advocates might have misunderstood what the top Catholic leader in the world was trying to say. “Maybe their arguments are wrong. It’s not really the stand of the Church that changed. And it cannot be said that the stand of the Church is pro RH. That looks far from the truth," Cruz said in an interview on radio dwIZ. Manila Bishop Teodoro Bacani Jr. also appealed to the media not to “misinterpret" the Pope’s stand on the matter. The Executive branch and leaders of the Catholics Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines are locked in dialog on RH, but both camps seem firm and unwilling to abandon their respective positions on the controversial issue. The dialog was initiated by the Palace primarily to shed light and explain the President’s stand on RH for the benefit of the bishops, as well as “to see their concerns. How [these] can fit into the position of the President," presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said. — VS, GMANews.TV