Pope rejects condom AIDS prevention

The Pope has claimed that the distribution of condoms in Africa to combat the AIDS epidemic will not help the problem.

Pope Benedict XVI was in Yaounde yesterday, where he told reporters that he was against the use of condoms as a method of stopping AIDS spreading.

As thousands of people gathered to witness the Pope as he arrived in the Cameroon capital, he took the opportunity to speak publicly on the issue for the first time.

On board a plane to Yaounde, he stated: "You can't resolve it with the distribution of condoms."

He went on to say that "on the contrary, it increases the problem".

Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict's predecessor, was often quoted as saying that sexual abstinence was the best way to ensure people did not catch AIDS.

The Global Health Council has advocated an ABC approach to reducing the chances of getting AIDS, A meaning to abstain, B to be faithful and C to correctly use condoms.

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