Vatican City, Dec 21, 2010 / 10:51 am
More than a month later, Pope Benedict XVI’s remarks about condom use and AIDS, made in his latest book, continue to provoke commentary and controversy.
The Vatican’s doctrine office says the Pope’s words were widely “manipulated for ends and interests which are entirely foreign to the meaning of his words” — resulting in “confusion” about the Church’s true teaching on sexual morality.
But in fact the Pope did not change anything in Catholic moral teaching or pastoral practice, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith said in a note issued Dec. 21.
The 1,100-word clarification note, “On the Trivialization of Sexuality, ” addressed remarks the Pope made in his new book-length interview with German journalist Peter Seewald, “Light of the World” (Ignatius Press, $22).