“People are human beings, and one cannot expect people to be abstinent. I think the Pope justly could and should express the Catholic Church’s position; however, when he discusses it he can also discuss compassion for those that can’t follow the Church’s position, of course not everyone is Catholic in Africa.”
Comment made by Father Mark C. Aita, S.J., assistant director of St. Joseph University’s Institute of Catholic Bioethics in regards to Pope Benedict XVI’s recent comments against using condoms. So I guess only Catholics must follow Divine law by this faulty line of reasoning. You can always tell a dissenter when they use “Church’s position” as if the Church was a think tank that issued position papers and talking points. Funny how compassion has come to mean allowing people to do gravely evil acts. I guess I am just old fashioned since I though compassion meant “suffering with” and that it would lead to wanting people not to gravely harm their souls.
Good Jesuit, Bad Jesuit also includes this tidbit:
The director of student health services for St. Joseph University in Philedephia , Laura Hurst, believes that “the school’s location offers enough convenience and opportunity to encourage students to purchase” condoms. “We’re very fortunate that we’re not in a very rural pocket, we’re right here on City Avenue,” she said. “Students can just walk to Rite Aid to get condoms, so they are easily accessible if they need them.” She continued.
“It’s always a fine line between staying within the values of the University, which we completely respect, and offering services to the students. We are fortunate that there are other medical centers in the area, and that there are health care providers other than us.
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The university has no place providing (which i know it doesnt), referring, aiding, or even being glad students have access to condoms and the like. If students want to violate the natural law, the university cant stop them, but it should not feel relieved or happy when they do.
I always have found it odd that Jesuit universities often have rather draconian policies about possessing or consuming alcohol in the dormitories and student housing (which is only illegal for some of the students, and it not an inherent evil of itself), but are very accommodating about sexual relationships.
Do these people think before they speak or type?
That would not be “compassion” it would be “tolerance.” While here is a difference, the Pope may express neither compassion nor tolerance for sin. But, the Pope demonstrates his love for sinners by teaching correction, repentence, etc.
Especially (snark snark), you cannot expect secular humanist U kids or black Africans to . . .
I’m too lazy to go back and look up primary sources, but didn’t the Pope say *monogamy* was the best way to fight AIDs? I was not aware that monogamy was the same as abstinence (which probably explains my children).
I have to find it doubly ironic when a priest says you can’t expect abstinence. You’d hope that a priest, more than most of us, would know that sexual abstinence is not, in fact, harmful. (Yes, I know that not everybody’s called to lifelong abstinence—some of us are called to marriage. But abstinence until—and outside of—marriage really doesn’t hurt anybody.)
I am waiting for this priest to express compassion for those who “can’t” quit smoking, or who “can’t” curb their appetite for fossil fuels. Father?
Peace,
–Peter
Darn those evil, wicked, godless, satanic, America-bashing, homosexuality-promoting public-school teachers.
And evil bushitler.
And stuff.
It strikes me that even condom advocates demand abstinence — when condoms aren’t available lest one be “punished” with unwanted pregnancy, AIDS, &c.
So what if one graduates St Joe’s having gotten accustomed to “getting their needs met” and then move to “some rural pocket”? Will they suddenly find it possible to go without between trips to the city?
A good example of chastity:
http://www.usccb.org/prolife/publicat/lifeissues/032009.shtml
I’m a Christian single, happily abstinent, and not even Catholic to boot. I do have a response to the remarks that “you can’t expect human beings to be abstinent,” but none of them are suitable for polite company.
Abstenance outside of marriage is possible, the Muslims follow the rules and AIDS is very rare in the Muslim population, and I doubt the Muslims have achieved this with condoms.
Of course the Muslims sometimes enforce the rules by killing those who cheat. This probably discourages kissing and telling, which in turn discourages kissing. Perhaps it is demon pride more than demon lust that causes AIDS.
You know, I have discovered something.
People like to drink. I mean, they really like to drink and get falling down drunk. It feels good, it’s part of their nature. It’s unreasonable to expect them to stop.
Now, no one likes to drink alone. People prefer to drink with friends, or in the atmosphere of a pub or tavern. They can’t do this without driving to the tavern, and of course they have to drive home.
So, I think it is unreasonable for our governments to expect people to drive only when sober. What they should do, what we need to do, is build cars of steel with hair-trigger airbags, roll cages, safety restraints ala NASCAR. We need to stop denying people’s freedom to get drunk. That’s morally irresponsible! The responsible thing is to allow people to get hammered and merely develop ways of preventing death on the road!
People like to drink. I mean, they really like to drink and get falling down drunk. It feels good, it’s part of their nature. It’s unreasonable to expect them to stop.
Exactly. Some people also like to do drugs, abuse others, murder, steal, rape, etc.
So who are we to say those activities should be illegal or punishable by law? I mean, how oppressive are we for interfering on a person’s right to live like an animal.
I had friends who were abstinent. I was abstinent. No one died because they weren’t having sex.
It is possible.