Pope Benedict ignores principles of Catholic Moral Theology in reference to HIV husbands use of condoms to avoid infecting faithful wives

A Comment Wm. J. Schuch
on an article by John Allen
which recently appeared in the National Catholic Reporter.

I am dismayed that in his reason #5, Mr. Allen fails to mention that many of the millions of deaths
from AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa might have be avoided if Benedict XVI and his predecessor had not ignored established principles of Catholic pastoral moral theology,
viz. double effect, lesser evil and the right to self-defense -
which make it a moral imperative
that HIV-positive husbands use condoms in order not to infect their faithful wives.

Benedict owes those hapless women who are needlessly suffering fromHIV/AIDS a sincere "mea culpa, mea maxima culpa" as well as an immediate and unequivocal declaration that HIV-husbands are morally obligated to use condoms if they insist on sexual relations with their wives, lest they become guilty of manslaughter
(or more accurately"womanslaughter") if not murder.

This should not be an opportunity for a triumphal Benedict to dispense his pious blessings but rather along-overdue opportunity for a penitential Pontiff to beg forgivenessfrom the victims of his failure and that of his predecessor to show theCompassion of Christ for these women who are victims not only of theirmale-dominated societies but also their male-dominated church.

Wm. J. Schuch
wjschuch@comcast.net