Well I must say all the press regarding World Youth Day is bringing out my rather fiercely Protestant side.  This however, is amusing.  The link below is about how anti-WYD protesters will be handing out condoms to pilgrims.  As much as I think the pope and the idea of the pope is wrong, I’m not about to go out and protest people exercising their freedom to practice a religion (and there are other places I’d start first if I did give up on this belief).

The thing I find most amusing about the whole condom thing is how much many Roman Catholics have taken to heart that wearing one is a sin.  In the context of marriage then yes, there is some grounds for saying that you should love and cherish each little bundle of joy the Lord decides to bestow upon you.  Personally though, I’ll be taking the pill faithfully until I know I’m in a financial position to hire a nanny.  However, if you are having sex with someone that you are not married to, it’s already a sin.  Is it that much worse to wear a condom as well to ensure that you don’t suffer punishment here on earth in the form of STD’s.  Not believing in purgatory (because it’s not in the Bible), I have no idea how it works, and if you’ll be there for that much longer just for making your illicit sex safe as well, but it is a rather amusing thought. 

The thing that I find less amusing, is what I have been told about the situation in East Timor.  Not only does it have a very high birth rate, I have been told that there are quite a few pregnancies directly attributable to Australia’s military presence there, if you get my drift.  The solution being touted by the government at the moment is to fund abortions.  An insider tells me that this is being done because East Timor is overwhelmingly Roman Catholic and would find sending boat loads of condoms to the nation offensive.  Great logic, when you consider that the Roman Catholic Church is one of the most vocal campaigners against abortion.  Also fails to address the spread of disease and the lack of healthcare for women before and after pregnancy.

The issue does create some amusing and also tragic hypocrisies, but I think it will remain until there is a pope who says, “look if you’re married you’re going to have to use the rhythm method, but if you’re not, for Pete’s sake, wear a condom.”  And that’s about as likely as Sheik Taj al-Din al-Hilay becoming the next Dali Lama.

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,23994331-953,00.html

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23859123-7583,00.html