Vatican study on condom use - will it make any difference?

A study by the Vatican on the use of condoms has finally been concluded and is currently being examined by the Vatican's doctrinal watchdog.

The long-awaited report on the use of condoms in the fight against AIDS, is apparently taken from both the scientific and moral standpoints and was drafted with the help of scientists, theologians and other experts.

No indication has been given of the position the study takes, or when a final pronouncement might be made.

Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan, who heads the Vatican office for health care, says the study has been passed on to the Congregation for the Faith, and then it will go before the Pope.

Pope Benedict XVI is said to be "greatly concerned" by the issue and the dossier was prepared at his request.

The Roman Catholic Church currently opposes the use of condoms as part of its overall teaching against contraception and advocates instead sexual abstinence as the best way to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS.

The church believes promoting condoms fosters immoral and hedonistic lifestyles and behaviour that will only contribute to its spread; it also teaches that homosexual acts are sinful.

In recent years several leading churchmen have spoken out on the issue as the Vatican has come under increasing criticism for its position and they have called for a change in Vatican policy on condoms to allow their use by married couples where one partner is affected by HIV or AIDS.

The Vatican has been reluctant to issue any document that could be interpreted as a green light for the use of condoms to stop the spread of AIDS, because it fears that would endorse promiscuous behaviour.

The news on the study is timely as it comes on the day a United Nations report has revealed that HIV infections were on the rise in all regions and that nearly 40 million adults and children are now infected worldwide.

Whether the Vatican study will make any difference remains to be seen.