According to The Telegraph, First Lady of France Carla Bruni has taken the Pope to task over his stubborn, rigid, ultra-conservative stand on contraception. How dare he not sway with the winds of popular opinion!
The Italian-born former supermodel risked angering believers in France and beyond by declaring that the Pontiff's proclamations showed that the Church needed to "evolve".
In March, the Pope sparked controversy while on an Africa tour by saying that the AIDs pandemic which has crippled the continent "can't be resolved with the distribution of condoms; on the contrary, there is the risk of increasing the problem".
Mrs Bruni-Sarkozy said: "I was born Catholic, I was baptised, but in my life I feel profoundly secular.
"I find that the controversy coming from the Pope's message – albeit distorted by the media – is very damaging.
"In Africa it's often Church people who look after sick people. It's astonishing to see the difference between the theory and the reality.
"I think the Church should evolve on this issue. It presents the condom as a contraceptive which, incidentally, it forbids, although it is the only existing protection," she told Femme Actuelle, the women's magazine.
A French Catholic (is that an oxymoron?) currently pulling duty as Sarko's third wife is standing on a very rickety podium from which to criticize the leader of the Catholic Church. How can a human being "evolve" the law of God, anyway?
I will agree with her on the point concerning AIDS and condoms. If people are already engaging in immoral behavior, it's futile to proscribe condom use. That's like telling a bank robber to not light up during the crime because state law prohibits smoking in public buildings.
Society is increasingly hostile to religious messages. We don't like being told what to do. I admire Pope Benedict, Rev Billy Graham, Rabbi Boteach, and any other religious leader who speaks God's truth regardless of its popularity. When's the last time you heard anyone criticize Eminem's morality?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/5345389/Carla-Bruni-criticises-Pope-Benedict-XVI.html
2 comments:
I have an ongoing debate with my attorney (and long term friend) that involves condom use and sex education for teenagers. His line laments the (somewhat) higher pregnancy rates for teens in the South as compared with thier Northern, more liberal counterparts in New England, New York, and New Jersey.
I respond by observing that teens in the South do know what condoms are, but for a variety of reasons decide against using them. Further, I maintain that Northern teens behave similarly, but their pregnancy rate is masked by the cultural preference for abortion in their home states.
I don't believe that condoms can stop pregnancy or HIV transmission at a high enough level that would cause people to use them. I also doubt that an impetuous act of sexuality will lend itself to prudence, especially in an era where we don't blame the actors, we blame the Church.
Interesting theory...
Medical people will tell you that condoms are no guarantee, but that they are better than nothing. Regardless, like you infer in your comments, it all comes down to personal responsibility. You can blame whoever for your irresponsibility, but it's you who will suffer the consequences, not the Pope.
Good, thoughtful comments. Thanks for stopping by.
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