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NOTE FROM THE CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH

VATICAN CITY, 22 DEC 2010 (VIS) - Given below is the English-language text of a
Note published yesterday afternoon by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the
Faith, entitled: "On the trivialisation of sexuality. Regarding certain
interpretations of 'Light of the World'".

"Following the publication of the interview-book 'Light of the World' by
Benedict XVI, a number of erroneous interpretations have emerged which have
caused confusion concerning the position of the Catholic Church regarding
certain questions of sexual morality. The thought of the Pope has been
repeatedly manipulated for ends and interests which are entirely foreign to the
meaning of his words - a meaning which is evident to anyone who reads the
entire chapters in which human sexuality is treated. The intention of the Holy
Father is clear: to rediscover the beauty of the divine gift of human sexuality
and, in this way, to avoid the cheapening of sexuality which is common today.

"Some interpretations have presented the words of the Pope as a contradiction
of the traditional moral teaching of the Church. This hypothesis has been
welcomed by some as a positive change and lamented by others as a cause of
concern - as if his statements represented a break with the doctrine concerning
contraception and with the Church's stance in the fight against AIDS. In
reality, the words of the Pope - which specifically concern a gravely
disordered type of human behaviour, namely prostitution (cf. Light of the
World, pp. 117-119) - do not signify a change in Catholic moral teaching or in
the pastoral practice of the Church.

"As is clear from an attentive reading of the pages in question, the Holy
Father was talking neither about conjugal morality nor about the moral norm
concerning contraception. This norm belongs to the tradition of the Church and
was summarised succinctly by Pope Paul VI in paragraph 14 of his Encyclical
Letter 'Humanae vitae', when he wrote that 'also to be excluded is any action
which either before, at the moment of, or after sexual intercourse, is
specifically intended to prevent procreation - whether as an end or as a
means'. The idea that anyone could deduce from the words of Benedict XVI that
it is somehow legitimate, in certain situations, to use condoms to avoid an
unwanted pregnancy is completely arbitrary and is in no way justified either by
his words or in his thought. On this issue the Pope proposes instead - and also
calls the pastors of the Church to propose more often and more effectively (cf.
Light of the World, p. 147) - humanly and ethically acceptable ways of behaving
which respect the inseparable connection between the unitive and procreative
meaning of every conjugal act, through the possible use of natural family
planning in view of responsible procreation.

"On the pages in question, the Holy Father refers to the completely different
case of prostitution, a type of behaviour which Christian morality has always
considered gravely immoral (cf. Vatican II, Pastoral Constitution 'Gaudium et
spes', n. 27; Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 2355). The response of the
entire Christian tradition - and indeed not only of the Christian tradition -
to the practice of prostitution can be summed up in the words of St. Paul:
'Flee from fornication' (1 Cor 6:18). The practice of prostitution should be
shunned, and it is the duty of the agencies of the Church, of civil society and
of the State to do all they can to liberate those involved from this practice.

"In this regard, it must be noted that the situation created by the spread of
AIDS in many areas of the world has made the problem of prostitution even more
serious. Those who know themselves to be infected with HIV and who therefore
run the risk of infecting others, apart from committing a sin against the sixth
commandment are also committing a sin against the fifth commandment - because
they are consciously putting the lives of others at risk through behaviour
which has repercussions on public health. In this situation, the Holy Father
clearly affirms that the provision of condoms does not constitute 'the real or
moral solution' to the problem of AIDS and also that 'the sheer fixation on the
condom implies a banalisation of sexuality' in that it refuses to address the
mistaken human behaviour which is the root cause of the spread of the virus. In
this context, however, it cannot be denied that anyone who uses a condom in
order to diminish the risk posed to another person is intending to reduce the
evil connected with his or her immoral activity. In this sense the Holy Father
points out that the use of a condom 'with the intention of reducing the risk of
infection, can be a first step in a movement towards a different way, a more
human way, of living sexuality'. This affirmation is clearly compatible with
the Holy Father's previous statement that this is 'not really the way to deal
with the evil of HIV infection'.

"Some commentators have interpreted the words of Benedict XVI according to the
so-called theory of the 'lesser evil'. This theory is, however, susceptible to
proportionalistic misinterpretation (cf. John Paul II, Encyclical Letter
'Veritatis splendor', n. 75-77). An action which is objectively evil, even if a
lesser evil, can never be licitly willed. The Holy Father did not say - as some
people have claimed - that prostitution with the use of a condom can be chosen
as a lesser evil. The Church teaches that prostitution is immoral and should be
shunned. However, those involved in prostitution who are HIV positive and who
seek to diminish the risk of contagion by the use of a condom may be taking the
first step in respecting the life of another - even if the evil of prostitution
remains in all its gravity. This understanding is in full conformity with the
moral theological tradition of the Church.

"In conclusion, in the battle against AIDS, the Catholic faithful and the
agencies of the Catholic Church should be close to those affected, should care
for the sick and should encourage all people to live abstinence before and
fidelity within marriage. In this regard it is also important to condemn any
behaviour which cheapens sexuality because, as the Pope says, such behaviour is
the reason why so many people no longer see in sexuality an expression of their
love: 'This is why the fight against the banalisation of sexuality is also part
of the struggle to ensure that sexuality is treated as a positive value and to
enable it to have a positive effect on the whole of man's being' (Light of the
World, p. 119).
CDF/VIS 20101222 (1130)

SUMMARY

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