I'm not a Catholic, but that's not a fair statement: the Pope does not *cause* deaths by opposing condoms. Individuals all make their own choices about whether or not to use condoms, and even whether or not to listen to the Pope or the church's positions on such things. I agree that the Pope is just plain wrong, but I think it's a bigger problem to muddy the waters of personal responsibility: individuals make choices, those choices have consequences. The Pope is largely irrelevant to that, except that there are many who do not do their own thinking. In that sense, I'd say they're a lot like the Pope.

I am not catholic however, I think you have a good point although I would HOPE that Catholics are able to think for themselves and go against their religion when it comes to their health. Of course then I suppose you go to hell if you are not forgiven. Your damned if you do, damned if you don't I suppose. :o)

LMAO! Why would people go without wearing condoms just cuz the pope tells them too?..LOL! I guess they are silly for listening to the pope man. If they were following the true words that come from their God instead of the pope only...maybe they would have understood...that PEOPLE SHOULDNT BE HAVING SEX UNLESS THEY ARE MARRIED!...and once they are married, they can wear as many condoms as they please. Its all crap...everythings crap. Frustrating is what it is.

I believe that the Catholic church is just plain wrong, when it comes to contraception. Misguided maybe. Aside from the issue of HIV, I've never been given sex education at all. And we've always been taught that you don't use condoms. And then they wonder why we get pregnant 14 year olds.

I agree Fight the real enemy religious freaks. I remember watching tv when condoms were given out free at a lot of public places and schools then the religious freaks took there lil dumb ass crusade to the supreme court or whatever to ban condoms from being givin out to highschool kids. Those idiots and the Pope killed many ppl filling their minds with too much bull shit lies. Popes just mad because he can't use a condom anymore, so wouldn't you want to make everyone else suffer and die?

umm no the pope did not cause HIV by doing this. he made have by proxy not PREVENTED it but he did notcause it. also, people think for themselves. so if they choose to listen to the pope for everything includling sex, then they might listen to him about no premarital sex or adultery too.

More catholics are using condoms now a days. Most people dont wait until marriage for sex including catholics so they are not as harsh on condom use as before.

The Pope has not "caused deaths" by having an opinion. However, I disagree with his message that condoms cause HIV. Regardless though, people having sex without condoms and spreading HIV happens no matter what the Pope has to say about it.

My opinion is that the Pope doesn't make people have sex, so I question how he is the cause of any death.

If you don't wont to get aids,don't have premarrital sex.Nobody catches std's when you don't fornicate,blame yourself for that.

I agree with you...but I am not a catholic....

That can't be the whole story. I'm not a Catholic, but I'm pretty sure he also opposed sex outside of marriage.

where did u get this analysis? i thought there were more deaths in Africa from HIV???who caused them? u need to get real...i'm not catholic but who are u to BLAME like this....people cause their own deaths by irresponsible CHOICES!!!!!!!

I'd say it's more likely that AIDS deniers have caused more deaths due to AIDS than the Catholic church, by declaring that there is no such thing. Public health researchers have raised alarm at the human cost of AIDS denialism; independent estimates attribute 330,000 to 340,000 AIDS deaths, 171,000 HIV infections and 35,000 infant HIV infections to the South African government's former embrace of AIDS denialism. Nicoli Nattrass of the University of Cape Town estimates that 343,000 excess AIDS deaths and 171,000 infections resulted from the Former South African president, Thabo Mbeki's administration's policies, an outcome she refers to in the words of Peter Mandelson as "genocide by sloth"

I am not Catholic, yet I do disagree with this statement mate. If people didn't have sex out of harmony with the way mankind was to have relationships, then these diseases wouldn't happen in the first place. A condom doesn't 100% stop the spread of disease. What about vaginal fluids flowing over to the end of the condom, or haemorraging? If due to sexual relations, the origins are from someone doing things wrong, and passing it on to maybe an innocent person.

Catholics are suppossed to be Christian, Christians are suppossed to abstain from sex outside of marriage. Why would they comply with the Popes message about condoms, but not comply with the Bibles message about chastity? Outside of rape, infedelity on the Christians spouce, or a blood transfusion, I don't see how a Christian could get AIDS anyway.

Change that to "The Vatican" or "The Catholic Church" and you might be right. One of the greatest opponents was Cardinal Trujillo (now dead, fortunately). The RCC has come up with some gems, including teaching Africans that condoms have small holes for the AIDS virus to pass through and that condoms are pre-infected with AIDS.

I'm not Catholic, but this question just begs for the following video answer: . . .

I'm an atheist who was raised Roman Catholic. I think what you have said is oversimplified, but nonetheless basically true. The Catholic church has the blood of millions on its hands.

I question your science and your source. The experts say: Last year, Edward C. Green, director of the AIDS Prevention Research Project at the Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies, wrote: "In every African country in which HIV infections declined, this decline has been associated with a decrease in the proportion of men and women reporting more than one sex partner over the course of a year—which is exactly what fidelity programs promote." And: "Many countries that have not seen declines in HIV have seen increases in condom use, but in every country worldwide in which HIV has declined there have been increases in levels of faithfulness and usually abstinence as well." http://www.harvardaidsprp.org/index.html Sam L. Ruteikara, co-chair of Uganda's National AIDS-Prevention Committee wrote: The proportion of Ugandans infected with HIV plunged from 21 percent in 1991 to 6 percent in 2002. Telling men and women to keep sex sacred -- to save sex for marriage and then remain faithful -- is telling them to love one another deeply with their whole hearts. Most HIV infections in Africa are spread by sex outside of marriage: casual sex and infidelity. The solution is faithful love. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/29/AR2008062901477.html?wpisrc=newsletter See also: + The Washinton Post, "The Pope May be Right", March 29, 2009: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/27/AR2009032702825.html + Science, "Reassessing HIV Prevention", May 9, 2008: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/summary/320/5877/749?ck=nck The Catholic Church has never asked unmarried people to have unprotected sex. Neither has she asked married couples with diseases to have unprotected sex. Judeo-Christian tradition has taught for thousands of years: 1. Single people should be celibate. 2. Married people should be faithful to each other (adultery is wrong). 3. Married couples should welcome God's gift of children and, therefore, artificial birth control is against the will of God. If the world is going to ignore teachings about chastity (1 & 2), then why is the world so upset about teaching artificial birth control (3)? People who are already ignoring the more important teachings about chastity (1 and 2) should have no problem ignoring the less important teaching of artificial birth control (3). Even if a person infected with AIDS was to use a condom to help protect his or her spouse, condoms are not 100% effective (read the box) and the spouse may be infected and die anyway. A person who truly loves their spouse would not endanger them in this way. In regards to sex outside of marriage, the Church makes it a practice not to tell people how to sin. With or without a condom: • Fornication is still fornication • Adultery is still adultery • Rape is still rape With love in Christ.