valou (66.93.240.xxx) -  2002-11-07 15:52:59

Qui a dit que La Vatican ne fait rien

Brazil Priest Warned Over Condom Giveaway
BRASILIA (CWNews.com) - A Brazilian priest was warned by the country's bishops on Tuesday to stop passing out condoms as part of his own campaign to combat the spread of AIDS.

Archbishop Claudio Hummes of Sao Paulo warned Italian priest Father Valeriano Paitoni that he could face ecclesiastical sanctions for acts incompatible with the faith of the Church. "Considering the clear and reiterated affirmation of the Pope and the Church, which condemns the use of condoms, I declare ... that the priest's attitude is incompatible," he said.

The archbishop added that the "letter of condemnation" published on Tuesday would be followed by other punitive actions "to correct this regrettable situation" if he does not comply.

Father Paitoni, who has worked in Brazil for 22 years, said in a magazine interview earlier this week that condoms are the lesser of two evils. "If the condom protects life, there is no reason not to view it as a lesser evil ... It deals with a greater good," Father Paitoni said.

The government of Brazil, the world's most populous Catholic country, last month criticized the Church for opposing artificial contraception, with officials pointing to Brazil as having one of the region's highest rates of AIDS. The Catholic Church has consistently stated that the primary answer to the spread of AIDS is chastity, abstinence, fidelity, and the promotion of family values.