Pope Condom Saga: Facebook Groups Rise Up Against The Vatican

As part of the widespread outcry against the Vatican in the wake of Pope Benedict's Africa trip -- where the Pontiff made official his position on condom use with the claim that it "aggravates" the spread of HIV/AIDS -- a new Italian Facebook group has emerged. The group's goal is to send hundreds of thousands of condoms to the Pope, and it hopes that similar groups in other countries will arise to do the same. From Telegraph:

Organisers have claimed that 60,000 have pledged to send prophylactics to the Pontiff as a result of the call on the social networking site. The Italians behind the initiative hope they will be joined by Facebook groups around the world, including from Britain and the United States: "The campaign is spreading across Europe, with thousands of supporters in France, England, Germany, Austria and Bulgaria."

Those who stand behind the Pope, however, are criticizing the effort as overkill. Indeed, there has been a constant barrage of excoriation against the Vatican for almost two weeks now. Again from Telegraph:

Senior Catholics rallied to the Pope's defence this week, with the head of the Italian Bishops Conference, Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, saying the depth of opprobrium directed towards the pontiff had "been prolonged beyond good reason."

Though the Telegraph story gives a number of 60,000 pledged participants, it does not give the name of the group. This group looks like a likely candidate, but it only has 26,674 members and is in Italian. If any Italian readers out there can tell us more, let us know!

Comments

[SneathLane]

As any thinking human realizes, the Pope's opposition to birth control and condom use has been "prolonged beyond good reason."

[duxguts]

Any man who wears a dress can't be all bad!

[Hopalongpoppyseed]

"Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisitio­n."

[ThirdSection]

I have a better idea. Let's send condoms to Africa!

[Doc0976]

It is absolutely outrageous that anyone would make such irresponsible and outright false comments like that, especially while setting foot on a continent that has some of the highest HIV/AIDS rates known on the planet. So, call me a conspiracy theorist, but I can't help but wonder if those comments were out of pure dogmatic ignorance or if they stem from a more sinister and morbid plot to promulgate the epidemic there. Yes, I believe that Africans have the common sense to know what is true and false, but it can't be ignored that many Africans live in a world where superstition and dangerous rituals continue to rule their lives. Young girls and women are brutalized in many African countries by warlords and rebels and there is no end in sight. In this day and age, with all the information scientists and QUALIFIED officials have made regarding the spread of HIV/AIDS, I find it very hard to believe that the Pope has no idea that using condoms can provide a safe, healthy alternative for millions of people.

My thought is that this antiquated "leader" relishes in the thought of a people dying off in record numbers and living in abject poverty without access to basic public health requirements to ensure some semblance of a future as a developing continent. Condoms, reproductive options and education can SAVE LIVES and provide hope to many Africans. That's common sense. The Catholic Church is to humanity what sunlight is to a vampire.

[ThirdSection]

Although it was a ridiculous thing for Benedict to say, really, what does one expect from the pope of a religion that is against birth control?

[AngryCenter]

Why are we supposed to be impressed when a "Facebook group" does something?

[Hopalongpoppyseed]

I did not feel that I was being asked to be impressed. I do not use facebook, mostly due to being a curmudgeon where my privacy is concerned, but I did notice that the anger expressed against the Pope may well be represented by some tens of thousands of people.

[Retrofuturistic]

I wish someone had included the address...­.

[Emerald1943]

There have been some predictions that THIS pope is the LAST pope. Let us hope! We can ill-afford any more of these out-of-touch old men who would invade our homes, our bedrooms, and our wombs!

The damage this bunch of men has done is incalculable! Requiring women to have more children than they can afford to feed, clothe, house, and educate just so they can have more donors to their coffers...­.excommuni­cating that mother in Brazil who let her 9 yr, old pregnant daughter have an abortion because the little girl was raped by her stepfather, but yet not excommunicating the man who committed this horrible crime....a­nd don't get me started about the priests that they hid when child abuse and molestation was discovered!!!! The sooner this antiquated "church" goes down the tubes the better!

They think that there's been too much outrage??? I don't think they have a clue!!! But instead of sending condoms to the Vatican where they will only be thrown away, let's start sending them to Africa and other developing countries where AIDS is epidemic. At least there, they will do some good!

[KayWrites]

I like that idea!

[giab]

This is the facebook group
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?sid=37b42ceb886f908ea844ceed7083c33e&gid=58534364452

and this is the address for the Vatican Mail

Prefettura della Casa Pontificia
00120 Città del Vaticano

enjoy

[Petesdaddy]

So the Pope is an expert in epidemiology now? Where and when did he get his medical degree? What is his source of information, the Bible? Or did he just pull this information out of the sky and spread it around because it fit well with Catholic dogma?
It should be illegal for people with no knowledge of such an important topic like HIV/AIDS prevention and so much visibility and access to media to make declarations that are not supported by medical facts.

[Yamunation]

Same pope decided he was an expert in the stars when he declared that god is responsible for making all the other planets and the entire universe. Just in case life on other planets had their OWN god or something horrendous like that. It's about dominion and control, and he extended that thirst beyond our own planet. How is one supposed to take this guy seriously?

People so outdated on information are a threat to others, by virtue of ignorance. Resistance to knowledge is a powerfully deadly thing.

[lungfish]

The RCC has the same problem that the GOP does.... Its foundational principles are completely out of sync with the human condition.­.....
If you want to be a celibate monk, thats your business. If you are going to have a sex life you need to know how to avoid pregnancy and disease. There is nothing else to say.

Interestingly, if the GOP or the RCC changed a foundational principle both orgs would probably implode...­. the credibility of the RCC would suffer further if it sanctioned birth control after being against it so long from the top down... and the GOP would lose face even more if it became pro-choice, for example...­.

Yep, two dinosaurs on the verge of extinction.

[Hare]

Can we send used ones...rec­ycling is good ya know!

[MESGAIN26]

LET ME GET THIS STRAIGT ITS GOOD TO KEEP A FATHER THAT RAPE HIS DAUGTER IN THE CHURCH , AND BASH / TOSS OUT THE MOTHER THAT SEEKS A ABORATION FROM THE FATHER THAT RAPED HER EVEN TOUGH HAVEING THE TWINS CAN KLL HER , NOW THE POPE IS CLAIMING CODEMS DON'T PERVENT AIDS ?WHO IS TIHS INPOSTER HE SECRTAINLY IS NO MAN OF THE CLOTH

[anthroguy]

So Cardinal Bagnasco believes that the condom protests have "been prolonged beyond good reason" does he?

Given that more Africans (and others) die of AIDS every time the Pope makes one of his dogmatic announcements about condoms, I personally would say that world outrage has not been prolonged nearly enough. If anything more outrage would be quite appropriate.

Fortunately, most Africans have the sense to ignore the Pope in the face of the actual reality of living with HIV all around them. (I know. I've lived there.)

[christopherflynn]

and unfortunately there are still catholics who follow this "j e r k"...

[aep1986]

This sounds pointless to me... sending thousands of condoms to the Pope will do nothing. What a waste. They should send them to Africa or somewhere where they will actually do some good!

[svmaggieb]

Agree. Let Papa wander around in the world for a while, wearing those goofy robes and the post-hole-digger hat, outside the security detail and the b u l l e t proof glass, and let the world tell him what it thinks of his authority or knowledge on this topic. I maintain that he should be perfectly safe doing this...he'­s got a god and whole crash of angels looking over his every step...rig­ht?

[doctordoubt]

Agree. It's not like he needs them.

[Petesdaddy]

right on