Take that, Pope Virgin!

"My reaction is that this represents a major step backwards in terms of global health education, is entirely counter-productive, and is likely to lead to increases in HIV infection in Africa and elsewhere," said Prof Quentin Sattentau, Professor of Immunology at Britain's Oxford University.

Two things about this.

The first: How can it be "a major step backwards in terms of global health" if discouraging the use of condoms has always, expressly and unambiguously, been the Vatican's position?

The second: Gosh this "[it] is likely to lead to increases in HIV infection" argument sounds familiar. Oh yeah! It's exactly Benedict's line of reasoning except with the variables reversed. I.E. while the Catholic Church believes that the reason there is so much AIDS in Africa is because nobody is listening to them, the pro jimmy-hat crowd believes that it is because everybody is listening to them. That is, apparently Africans are unplugging their ears at precisely the moment the Pope tells them not to use condoms, then swiftly replugging them against all that other business about "personal sacrifices", "correct behaviour regarding one's body", abstinence, mutual respect, monogamy, etc.

Well, obviously, that makes complete sense--whereas the other position is raving, irrational hogwash.

Oh, those ridiculous Catholics! Next thing they'll be trying to tell us that it is harder to persuade a man to put on a condom before he rapes someone than it is to convince him of some vague ideological claptrap that rape is wrong. Lunatics.