Pope Says Condoms Make
AIDS Worse

Pope Benedict XVI has declared that condom use, far from slowing the spread of HIV, actually makes the pandemic worse.

"You can't resolve [AIDS] with the distribution of condoms," the pope told reporters on Tuesday aboard a plane headed to Africa, a continent ravaged by AIDS. "On the contrary, it increases the problem."

According to The New York Times , he had never before addressed condom use. His predecessor, Pope John Paul II, often proclaimed abstinence, not condoms, would prevent the spread of AIDS. The Roman Catholic Church rejects the use of condoms based on its teachings forbidding artificial contraception.

The Obama administration has taken steps to refocus energy on the fight against HIV in the United States, but a spokesperson declined to comment on the pope's remarks when reached by The Advocate .