French bishops ease ban on condoms

A committee of French bishops has contradicted the Vatican's condemnation of all methods of contraception by acknowledging that condom use may be necessary in order to prevent the spread of HIV and protect against AIDS. The Social Commission of the French Episcopate made this statement in a book entitled AIDS: Society in Question claiming the views of competent medical authorities. The committee for the first time acknowledged the role of the condom in reducing serious risk. The book quoted testimonies of patients, parents, and doctors, and rejected the view that AIDS was the result of deviant behavior or a divine punishment. The president of the Catholic Committee of French Doctors said that the bishops had removed some ambiguities and stressed that the Church could not be against contraceptives as a means of preventing the transmission of death. Professor Luc Montagnier, the discoverer of HIV, said that this new position of the French Church represented an important evolution and confronted the problem frankly in contrast to earlier murky hints and allusions. However, he added that some obstacles still remain at the Vatican because the Pope may not change his opinion. The bishops also warned that this report should not be interpreted as a break with the Church's teachings or opposition to them. Another study by the French Institute of Demographic Studies on AIDS in France indicated that mortality from AIDS will continue to rise at least until 1997. In France mortality from AIDS amounts to 88.5 deaths/1 million population a year, following Spain with 139 deaths and Switzerland with 89.6 deaths. In contrast, Germany and Great Britain have 20-30 deaths from AIDS per million population a year.