AIDS, condoms, and Catholics

I once got the following email:

Hi Father,
Thank you for this web page where I can discuss my Roman Catholic faith, and ask questions.

I was asked what advice priests should be giving when they see the many dying from aids in Africa and I sided with the Pope that they should learn/be taught Natural Family Planning and start to practice it. They replied that the pope has to be realistic and religion has to evolve to catch up with modern times. They say these African people are unteachable and no matter what we do they’ll never change.

[snip]

What would you say to these people? Am I missing some facts that would help me to understand their side more?

My reply (with a bit of editing for blog purposes):

The position that your “opponents” offer is based on myths. Here are a few articles with some facts. You might consider printing them out to give to people.

Was Karol Wojtyla the Greatest Mass Murderer of the 20th Century? (Short answer: No!)

Which kills more: ideology or religion? (Take a guess which!)

Will Condoms Really Stop AIDS In Africa? (Nope!)

You could also point out that it is the countries where the Catholic faith is proclaimed and lived that have the lowest incidents of AIDS in the world, in comparison to other countries. The classic contrast is Thailand vs. Philippines:

1999: Philippines 1,005 / Thailand 755,000 AIDS victims (Not the title of the piece, but some key numbers from it.)

The numbers found in the last part are also backed up by the UNAIDS service of the United Nations.

Finally, you might point out that the argument “African people are unteachable” is really just a sign of their own hardness of heart. You might also point out that it is racist. The Catholic faith, on the other hand, by proclaiming what it does, is actually showing a lot of confidence in the power of the Gospel to transform culture, and in the human dignity of the Africans as people as capable of moral resolution as any other. Bottom line: it is the Catholic position that is more respectful of the human body, of human nature, and of human society.