Lutheran Bishop Criticizes Pope’s Position on Condoms
Gunnar Staalseth, a Norwegian Lutheran bishop and a member of the Nobel Peace Prize committee, "lashed out" at Pope John Paul II yesterday, stating that the Roman Catholic Church's opposition to condoms "favors death rather than life," the Baltimore Sun reports (Baltimore Sun, 8/22). Staalseth said, "Religious leaders must be outspoken. Condom use should be tolerated as a way to stop the spread of AIDS. ... I challenge the Vatican to redefine its attitude to condoms." Staalseth added that the Catholic Church might "find that its opposition to condom use ... could come back to haunt it in future decades as the toll from the pandemic rises" (Reuters, 8/21).
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