Senior cardinal backs condom use by some PWAs

 VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - One of the Roman Catholic Church's most prominent cardinals has thrown his weight behind calls for the Vatican to condone a limited use of condoms for people suffering from AIDS.

The remarks made by Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini are at odds with official Roman Catholic teaching, which bans the use of condoms because they are a form of contraception.

"Certainly the use of condoms in particular situations can constitute a lesser evil," the retired archbishop of Milan and the Church's leading moderate was quoted as saying in news magazine L'Espresso.

"There is the particular situation of married couples in which one of the spouses is affected by AIDS. This person has an obligation to protect the other partner and the other partner also has to protect themselves."

The Vatican made no official comment on the article, in which Martini, who was runner-up in last year's papal election to conservative Pope Benedict, also raises the possibility of single mothers adopting children.

 See Senior cardinal backs condom use by some PWAs
Reuters