Another witness to truth.

Fr Julian has brought to this Blog an important concern which was approached very courageously by Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor. Speaking on the BBC's Sunday AM programme last week, the cardinal said it would be 'much better' if money for the increased distribution of condoms was spent on anti-retroviral drugs instead. And he said Catholic bishops in African countries had told him their dioceses were 'flooded' with condoms which had led to 'more promiscuity and more Aids.' His comments followed a call from Tony Blair for religious leaders to 'face up to reality' and drop bans on condoms. The Cardinal stressed that the way to combat Aids was 'behavioural change, monogamous partnerships between a man and a woman. 'During the interview, the cardinal said he could see the Catholic Church coming into conflict with the government in several areas, including education and the new Sexual Orientation Regulations which come into force next April. He said laws being passed would limit the religious freedom of Catholics and other Christians. He added that it was vital for the Church to be involved in politics, especially in issues concerning the rights of the individual and the family.
Are you aware about the controversy over the use of condoms to counter the Aids epidemic or about the Church's teaching regarding contraception? There is obviously confusion here and the Cardinal has inserted the light of truth into this increasingly political issue.
However, the charity CAFOD is also a cause of confusion in this matter. The CAFOD website publicly esposes the use of condoms in the fight against Aids saying that this "reconciles solid science and good community development practices with established and evolving moral theology and Catholic social teaching." This approach seems to be an entirely contrived one, since the Bishops of African countries have made it clear that condom use is directly linked to promiscuity and, consequently, to the spread of the Aids virus. Whatever the effect is that the condom has on preventing the transmission of the virus during sexual intercourse, it does not change people's behaviour, but actually promotes promiscuity.
That is not all. CAFOD's website publicly dissents from the teaching of the Church concerning the use of contraception within marriage: " ... the prohibition of Humanae Vitae on the use of artificial contraceptives as disrupting the intrinisic connection between the unitive and procreative dimensions of the marriage act does not seem to apply. In these practices there is no truly unitive act to disrupt."
Humanae Vitae is an Encyclical letter of Pope Paul VI, written in 1968, which declares that the use of artificial contraception within marriage is an intrinsic evil. It also teaches about the nature of human love and responsible parenthood. You should read it.
With such confusion it is not surprising that the Holy Father has convoked a Commission to look into the matter of condom use between spouses where one spouse is infected. However, the position which the charity CAFOD has taken is wrong.
First, as a Catholic Charity it should not dissent from the Church's teaching nor pre-empt clarification about this matter which the Church will provide in due course.
Secondly, CAFOD's position lends credence to the International project to impose condom culture on African countries.
Thirdly, CAFOD teaches illogically that there can be a form of sexual intercourse between spouses which is non-marital! It is strange that after 8,000 years of recorded human history, that CAFOD has just discovered this form of behaviour. No, the use of condoms in marriage makes sexual intercourse between spouses non-marital.
The Christ the Healer Project is a great venture of taking truth into human lives. Perhaps there are many others with the pedigree of truth. The influence that our Government and CAFOD will have upon the lives of many in the world is that of taking truth out of human lives. Courage in the storm!