While the U.S. Bishop's Conference has been busy debating the merits of quinceaera, their Spanish counterparts have been a bit more active, recently supporting the use of condoms to halt the spread of AIDS:
But "condoms have a place in the global prevention of AIDS," Juan Antonio Martinez Camino, spokesman for the Spanish Bishops Conference, told reporters after a meeting Tuesday with Health Minister Elena Salgado to discuss ways of fighting the disease.Martinez Camino said the Spanish Catholic Church's stance is backed by the scientific world. He cited a recent study by experts in the medical magazine Lancet that supported the so-called "ABC" approach of fighting AIDS - "A" for abstinence, "B" for being faithful to partners, and "C" for condoms.
Faithfulness to partners plural is a curious concept. And never mind the fact that widespread condom distribution the last 15+ years has done little if anything to halt the spread of AIDS. The Spanish Bishops have science on their side.
It's also interesting how the actions of the bishops are reported as those of "Spain's Catholic Church" as if each nation has its own Catholic congregation with its own creed. Such is probably due to reporter ignorance, though with actions like this, the Spanish bishops are already laying the foundations for their own national church.