ShareThisMANILA (PinoyNews) -– The country’s bishops should heed the statements of Pope Benedict XVI to allow the use of condoms to prevent the spread of diseases like AIDS.
This was stressed by Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda in reaction to the Pope’s statement allowing the use of condom under certain conditions even as the debate on the Reproductive Health Bill pending in Congress heated up andn Rep. Manny Pacquiao of Sarangani joined the fray by expressing his opposition to the controversial RH bill.
“The Pope has already spoken that condom use is allowed under certain conditions. Our local bishops should listen to the Pope. If the Pope has spoken, maybe the bishops should follow,” Lacierda said.
This developed as a women’s rights group labeled Filipino bishops as “more popish than the Pope“ by their going against the Reproductive Health Bill because it advocates the use of condom in family planning.
”The problem with Filipino bishops and those who are against the RH bill, including some anti-choice legislators, is that they are more popish that the pope,” said EnGendeRights, Inc.led by its executive director, Atty. Clara Rita Padilla.
”By justifying the use of condoms to fight the spread of HIV and AIDS, the Pope is making a realistic stance to address the spread of deadly virus which can be prevented by effective and consistent use of condoms and providing programs such as sex education to discuss vulnerabilities to infection, prevention and treatment of HIV and AIDS,” Padilla said.
”The Pope’s relaxed stance is an example of how religious morality should be in line with secular standards, public health and human rights,” she said.
The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines strongly opposes the use of contraceptives, including condom. They earlier said they will wait for an official statement from the Pope himself regarding the issue.
Palace officials held a dialogue with Church bishops to clarify their stand on the issue on the controversial reproductive health bill.
Earlier, President Benigno Simeon Aquino III pushed for “responsible parenthood”, saying the government supports whatever Filipino couples choose — natural or artificial contraceptives.
The CBCBP said they cannot give yet a clear statement on the declaration of Pope Benedict XVI regarding the use of condom.
“Since the book is not yet available, and I think the bishops (of the Philippines) have not yet read it, we could not make any definite statement on the matter,” said Msgr. Juanito Figura, CBCP Secretary General.
With this, he echoed the statement of the Pontiff, saying that the position against the use of contraceptive does not changed.
“For the moment, what is clear as reported is that the Holy Father’s latest teaching on condom use does not in any ways change the position of the Church against artificial contraception,” the CBCP official said.
Likewise, Figura noted that His Holiness did not speak of it in the context of population issue but merely to stop the spread of the deadly virus, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).
“He speaks of condom as a permissible tool, not the primary tool, to arrest further the spread of the HIV virus; condom is not the moral solution to the alarming spread of the virus and disease,” he said.
He also urged the faithful to view the statement as the Holy Father’s concrete expression of respect and protection of the God-given human life.
For Executive Secretary Fr. Melvin Castro, CBCP – Episcopal Commission on Family and Life (ECFL) said they will not make a statement yet until they have received the statement of Vatican.
“We are expecting an official Vatican statement tomorrow… from there, we shall make our own statement,” he said.
CBCP Public Affairs Committee Chairman Bishop Deogracias Iñiguez warned Pro-RH advocates not to take advantage over the matter.
“Dapat intindihin nila ng husto kung ano ang sinabi ng Pope… Huwag nila gamitin. Huwag nila i-distort,” he said.
Last Sunday, reports came out quoting the 83-year-old Pontiff as saying use of condom is acceptable “in certain cases” such as in preventing the transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
“In certain cases, where the intention is to reduce the risk of infection, it can nevertheless be a first step on the way to another, more humane sexuality,” said Benedict in the book “Light of the World.”
Investing in People, which includes a healthy, nourished, secured and educated population, is one of the criteria or benchmarks of the US$ 434 million compact grant signed in September between President Benigno Aquino III and the Millennium Challenge Corporation for achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDG).
They are similar benchmarks for MDGs set by the United Nations, for which bilateral and multilateral aid from such countries as Spain and the European Union are provided to the Philippines.
Citing sources, Padilla noted that “HIV incidence in the Philippines is steadily growing.”
Data of the National AIDS Registry showed there has been sudden increases in reported HIV positive cases yearly since 2007—54 per cent increase in 2008 compared to 2007 and 58 per cent increase from 2008 to 2009. At the start of 2010, there are already four new cases being reported every day compared to the two new cases reported daily in 2009.
Padilla added: “The Filipino bishops and the rest of the anti-choice groups should do intensive reflection on their stance against the RH bill and other issues related to sexual and reproductive health.”