RIP Pope John Paul II

How is it the Pope's fault if people with AIDS are too selfish or stupid to keep their pants zipped and procreate babies with AIDS? Please. Put the responsibility where it belongs. People have to take responsibility for their own actions. If someone with AIDS is going to have unprotected sex, they have to take the blame for the consequences. Odds are they've already engaged in behavior that would "send them straight to hell" according to Catholic doctrine (and by that I mean any sexual activity outside of marriage). So, if a person--any person--who's already commited what the Church defines as sin carries on without using a condom, saying "the Pope said so" is a pretty pathetic excuse for such risky behavior.

Becky

At the time, a lot of people in Africa were, and actually still are, uninformed on what is the HIV virus, how you get/transmit it and what it does to your body. Screening and prevention is not carried out much as in our countries.
Plus you don't know you carry the virus at the very second you get it, as it can stay in your body several years before actually doing some damage to your imune system.
The Pope lived in a region of the world that was very well informed about AIDS in Africa. He should have known better, since is word is listened to and followed, and protect the people rather than make them even more vulnerable than they already were.

Ponrauil

If a person is going to claim to follow Catholic doctrine and yet have sex outside marriage, then it's not logical to assume that they're going to not wear a condom because the Pope said so.

If they're being good little Catholics and "listening to his word", they're not having sex with multiple partners to spread the disease anyway. If they're doing what the church tells them to do, then they're not at much risk for AIDS in the first place. It's not the Church's fault if people are selective about what rules they follow. It can't go both ways. Either they listen to the Church and only have one sexual partner in a married relationship or they don't listen to the Church so it doesn't matter what the Church's position on condoms is.

I'm not even Catholic and I think it's stupid to blame the Catholic Church for things that are clearly outside their control. I believe people are responsible for their own actions and decisions, good or bad.

Becky

You get "forgiveness" from the church for haveing affairs, but they don't forgive the use of condom. How's that for double-standards?

They follow the churches rules. Is it the persons fault if the church doesn't follow it's own rules?

Yes, but some people know more than others and if they're in a position like the pope was, they should do something with the powers they have.

Ice

I’ve never expected but Friday, at lunch time, the new on TV that the Pope was dying moved me to tears.
I’m catholic but not practicing…I believe in God, I pray sometimes but I’m not into the “Catholic Church thing”…there are too many things that IMO don’t work good in that but now I realize I’ve never seen the Pope as its leader, but simply as everyone’s Grandfather.
My affection to him was deeper than I never knew.
This reminds me an episode happened about 11 years ago when I saw him very accidentally….I was in Rome with the school and we were having this free day…just walking with a mate on a street behind St. Peter’s square when we saw that one of the Vatican City’s gate was opening. We stopped to watch and suddenly a line of police’s motorbikes ran out followed by this long and white car…he was on watching outside the window and when he saw us with other people greeting him he raised his hand to us…all this lasted not more than 20 seconds but it really shocked me and even that time I remember me questioning about the reason…at 18 I couldn’t be farer from religion…but I know I’ll never forget that episode and I’ll never forget Papa Giovanni Paolo II, the youth’s friend.
Rest in peace.

No double standard whatsoever. The Catholic Church will forgive you *anything*, any action against its doctrine, as far as you really repent and you confess. Then you'll get a penance and that's it - you can go to heaven again. Doesn't matter whether what you did was lying or using a condom or killing your neighbour.

Given the fact that you can also get AIDS from a blood transfusion, I think it is a bit much just to assume that all people with AIDS have slept around. Even if they have, it is then also wrong to condemn more people to a life of HIV and AIDS just because condoms are not allowed. One of the biggest problems in Africa is children with AIDS that have got it off their mother.. there is more than one way to get AIDS...

Yet I, someone who does not believe, could lead a perfect life, be kind to people and do charity work and never do anything wrong, yet because I don't believe I wouldn't get into heaven, but someone who has killed and led an awful life can get in as long as they ask forgiveness. No wonder so many turn to religion.

But since you don't believe in heaven or God you that's not your problem, is it? For non-believers both you and the killer will rot away equally too.

Well obviously, but I was making the point of how easy it is to follow religion, if you think you will be rewarded in some kind of after-life.

I love how religious people now say, since the discovery of things like evolution, that the bible isn't suppose to be literal, so the whole 7 days of creation thing now isn't meant to be taken literally.

If they really mean to follow the religion then of coure they should take the book as it was written, otherwise they are just spinning it to their advantage.