Condoms make AIDS worse, says Pope

Pope Benedict XVI, who is visiting Africa for the first time as pontiff, had this to say on the spread of AIDS on the continent (my emphasis):

AIDS "is a tragedy that cannot be overcome by money alone, that cannot be overcome through the distribution of condoms, which even aggravates the problems'', the 81-year-old Pontiff said on the flight from Rome.

and:

The solution lies in a "spiritual and human awakening'' and "friendship for those who suffer''

Of course it does, Your Holiness. How ignorant of me not to realise. I'm sure you would agree also, that the "solution" to the Middle East crisis is to join hands and dance around in a circle singing kum ba yah.

I find it increasingly difficult to defend my religion when ecclesiastical dinosaurs spout forth such doctrinaire nonsense as this.

I hope it was simply a case of a bad translation. But I doubt it.