Prophet-lactics

I’ve kept quiet about it long enough. But I can only take so much nonsense. Go ahead. Call me seditious. Call me an atheist. Call me whatever you frickin' want. May lightning even strike me right now, just based on the thoughts running through my head.

A bit O.A.? Okay, just let me say my piece.

The Catholic Church has been at it again. Pope Benedict, on a visit to Africa, boldly says that encouraging the use of condoms aggravates the problem of HIV and AIDS, rather than helping contain the virus. WTF?!

And I said "again", because I’d already heard something to that effect last year, from our very own Catholic Church here in the Philippines. In articles on the website of the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of the Philippines or CBCP entitled CBCP Hasn’t OK’d Condom Use for HIV/AIDS Patients and Church: Condoms Don’t Stop AIDS, Fr. Melvin Castro says there is no directive from the Vatican that married couples infected with HIV and those with AIDS can use condoms. He also goes on to say that the claim that condoms can reduce the number of HIV-infected persons is a "myth".

Whoa?! No one ever said that condom use is a cure to HIV. It will not reduce the number of HIV-infected persons. What it can reduce is the number of HIV-infections. What’s that supposed to be? A play of words? Hmm.

The CBCP follows up with statements backing claims that condoms are permeable. And when the DOH says those claims are untrue, Fr. Castro once again speaks up saying "They are wrong about that... this is an easily recognizable fact". An easily recognizable fact?! An easily recognizable fact just like immaculate conceptions, walking on water, and turning water into wine?! Okay, I know, that was below the belt, but shouldn’t we all be wary of making sweeping statements? Hmm.

I’m just absolutely dumbfounded at how the Catholic Church can make statements such as these. What’s the real issue with condoms anyway? What do these prophets have against prophylactics? Is it some tool of the devil? Hmm.

They probably think it encourages sex outside the context of marriage and all that immoral stuff. But how come even married couples aren’t allowed to use condoms to keep the uninfected partner safe? Hmm.

Oh yeah, they probably think it breaks the link between sex and procreation. So does this mean that they are willing to sacrifice their followers’ health and well-being just for the sake of procreation? Hmm.

But then, two guys fucking can only bring themselves as far as pagdadalang-tae. So as far as I’m concerned, I’ve never been in any sexual act that could result in any procreation whatsoever. Geesh, we’re still not allowed to use condoms? Hmm.

Of course, that just brings us to the subject of homosexuality being a sin. Yeah, right. Why doesn’t that ever ring a bell whenever the priest at my local parish ogles and flirts at me whenever he’s not in church or wearing his habit? Hmm.

The Pope and the CBCP then both agree that marital fidelity and sexual abstinence are the only failsafe ways of preventing the spread of HIV and AIDS. Clap, clap, clap. One question though... Is this the same fidelity and abstinence that some men of the cloth themselves forget about, causing them to father kids, make sexual advances, abuse women, and molest children? Hmm.

So at this point, I still don’t understand why the Catholic Church is so against condom use, and reproductive health in general. I’m completely aware that I’m walking the fine line between righteousness and blasphemy... but only in the same way that the Catholic Church walks the fine line between spirituality and self-righteousness.

So I say, go ahead. May he who is without sin cast the first stone.