Cardinal Martini causes world-wide controversy.

Vatican City -- In April the former Archbishop of Milan, Cardinal Carlo Martini, 79, gave an interview to the Italian magazine Espresso, discussing various ethical questions, including the question whether a spouse infected with HIV has an obligation to protect his or her partner. This interview was translated into the world press as follows:

"Cardinal Carlo Martini told an Italian newspaper that condoms were the 'lesser evil' when used to stop the transmission of AIDS.

"The cardinal's comments were followed up a few days later by reports that the Vatican was taking a new look at the issue of condoms and AIDS.

"A pronouncement from Pope Benedict XVI agreeing with Martini would be a blessing. A doctrine known in moral theology as the 'double effect' says that an individual may engage in an act that has both good and bad effects if the good effect compensates for the bad effect.

"The use of condoms to contain the spread of AIDS seems to fit" (L.A. Times, April 27, 2006, reprinted Toronto Sun, April 30).

The Toronto Star headline read: "Cardinal backs use of condoms: For married couples, only if one has AIDS: Directly contradicts Vatican in interview" (www.thestar.com, April 22, 2006). The National Post headline was: "Papal favourite gives blessing to condom use. Cardinal accepts abortion in 'extreme cases'" (April 22, 2006).

Cardinal Martini also ventured the opinion that human life does not begin immediately after conception.

Referring to an interview Cardinal Martini gave on April 22, 2006 to the Italian daily Corriere della Sera, Msgr. Sgreccia, President of the Pontifical Academy for Life, said the "union of the feminine chromosome and the masculine chromosome contains in itself two pro-nuclei, and it is a fertilized ovum in which the process of fertilization has already begun." This fusion of the nuclei in the cytoplasm of the ovum, he continued, is what results in creation of a new individual or individuals, in the case of twins.

"This beginning," Msgr. Sgreccia pointed out in contrast to statements by Cardinal Martini, is "precisely the beginning of an individual life and leads to an irreversible process towards successive development, containing already at that point a unique [genetic] patrimony."

Editor's note:

The idea that the Catholic Church will change her opposition to the use of condoms in general or to the use of condoms to fight AIDS in general, is wholly imaginary and mistaken. As recently as May 2005, Pope Benedict XVI re-iterated that fidelity in marriage, and abstinence outside marriage, are the only ways to tackle the disease.

As for the question what to do once a spouse has become infected, the first defence would remain that of abstinence. The demand to continue intercourse despite the deadly infection is immoral and underserving of recognition.