(www.RemnantNewspaper.com) When the Holy Father used what many considered “imprecise language” to answer a question about condom use  put to him by journalist Peter Seewald last summer, the mainstream media roared its approval of what they immediately caricatured as a signal of imminent sea change in the Church’s position against contraception.

For weeks thereafter they ran front page, above-the-fold “news reports” on the Holy Father’s “radical turnaround”, completely ignoring the Catholic press’s (including The Remnant’s) attempts to point out the obvious--that while the Holy Father’s words in the Seewald interview were far from precise they certainly did not convey what the media were claiming.

On May 28, 2011 another condom-related event took place which curiously enough was met with a comparative media blackout by press, internet and cable news outlets.  The Vatican organized a special conference headed up by Pope Benedict’s second in command, Cardinal Bertone, for the  express purpose of reiterating the Church’s unchanged moral teaching against condom use in the ongoing fight against HIV, labeling condoms as an “ineffective prevention tool that encourages immoral behavior.” 

To our knowledge the only mainstream media to accurately cover the event was PBS Newshour, and that was only after the fact. Nevertheless, the Newshour report made it clear that the Vatican conference had put the world on notice that the Church had not and will not change her position against condom use for any reason.

PBS featured angry reactions from representatives of the lunatical Catholics For Choice, who were understandably irate over this clear defeat of their  agenda served up by the Vatican and authorized by the Pope.

Newshour’s report included the following: “The AIDS conference hosted at the Vatican over the weekend quickly stamped out any lingering speculation that the Church might shift or broaden its policy against use of condoms to protect from HIV. Instead, Vatican officials hailed recent findings that AIDS medications can be highly effective in preventing transmission and called for a change in ‘amoral sexual attitudes’ that contribute to the spread of HIV.­”

Monsignor Jacques Suaudeau of the Pontifical Council for Health Care Workers, interviewed by  Newshour, noted the following: “The truth is a condom is seen as something illicit because it goes against the Christian marriage,” he said. “People thought they could continue with their lifestyle thanks to the use of condoms. ... To many it was simply a way to continue to be totally irresponsible.” (Source PBS Newshour and Cathnews.com)

So that’s the end of that!  Anyone from the New York Times care to comment? Anyone?  Anyone? Anyone…