THE PORTUGUESE Episcopal Conference (CEP) recently approved the use of condoms for the first time, in order to avoid HIV/Aids infection.
The bishop of Bragança and Mirandela and the vice-president of the CEP, D. António Montes, announced the position of the Portuguese bishops.
Montes declared that the mission of the church is to explain sexuality. It should be seen as “a vehicle of love which develops into a heterosexual, monogamous marriage. It is in the context of this marriage, when one or two elements can become infected, that the use of a condom is called a lesser evil”.
Recent declarations from the Italian Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini revived this debate. It was divulged that the Vatican group of Theorists are preparing a document about the matter to present to the Pope.
The vice-president of the CEP said that if you will have an “anarchic experience” of sexuality, the use of a condom “can be seen as a universal cure”, however this does not mean that it is acceptable in the eyes of the Catholic Church. D. António Montes also said that they did not agree with the use of condoms to avoid pregnancy.
