World leaders, parliamentarians and lay people call on Pope to lift condom ban.

ON WORLD AIDS DAY, December 1, 2006, dozens of members of the European Parliament and thousands of Catholics and non-Catholics from more than 110 countries called on the pope to lift the ban on condoms to help stem the spread of HIV and AIDS.

On the same day, U.K. prime minister Tony Blair, speaking on MTV, echoed this call when he said, "The danger is, if we have a sort of blanket ban from religious hierarchy saying it's wrong to [use condoms], then you discourage people from doing it in circumstances where they need to protect their lives."

Meanwhile, the Condoms4Life campaign, an initiative of Catholics for a Free Choice, delivered an open letter to Pope Benedict XVI signed by thousands of individuals and 38 members of the European Parliament. The letter asked the pope to overturn the ban on condoms. Signatures to the letter will continue to be collected until the Vatican changes its teaching.

The letter took on special significance following the recent announcement by Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan, president of the Pontifical Council for Health Pastoral Care, that a working group assembled in April has recently delivered its findings on "contraception in the age of AIDS" to the pope and the Committee for the Doctrine of the Faith for further action.

Speaking about the Vatican's investigation into condom use, Jon O'Brien, executive vice president of Catholics for a Free Choice, which initiated the Condoms4Life campaign, said, "Pope Benedict XVI has a great opportunity to set forth a life-saving path for the Catholic church. As the church plays a large role in how AIDS is perceived and treated in many parts of the globe, officially lifting the ban on condoms is vital to stemming the spread of HIV and AIDS."

The letter to Pope Benedict XVI is available to read and sign at www.Condoms 4Life.org. Signatories may also append personal stories about how the ban affects them and their communities.