Post date: May 10, 2013 6:26:13 PM
Discontent stirs amongst the Catholic community in Kenya as advertisements and billboards sensationally read; "Good Catholics Use Condoms." Catholic leaders say the message goes against the teachings of Christ.
NAIROBI, KENYA (MARCH 09, 2013) (REUTERS) - Kenya's Catholic Church has called for the banning of adverts and billboards carrying the slogan "Good Catholics Use Condoms".
The billboard, portraying a smiling couple reads: "We believe in God. We believe that sex is sacred. We believe in caring for each other. We believe in using condoms."A Kenyan catholic Bishop Martin Musonde, argues that the stand of the Catholic Church is consistent, they do not support the use of condoms as a contraceptive. The use of contraceptives within the roman catholic church has always been considered to go against the deeply held principle of preserving the unborn child's life.
"We felt is misleading, it sounded like it was from the official catholic church but it wasn't. It was another source, a group that we understand promotes this kind of ideas and more so promotes condom use of course going against the official teaching of the catholic church."
Catholics for Choice (CFC) is a U.S based organization that hopes to encourage the use of condoms among Kenyan Catholics.
Its members say they are appalled by the Catholic Bishops of Kenya's reaction citing UNAIDS figures that state 1.6 million of Kenya's 41.6 million people are living with HIV. A majority of Kenyans have a catholic orientation and the CFC, a prolife movement they say is supported by catholics in Ghana, Ireland, Mexico, the United States and the Philippines, believes condoms would protect catholics against further infection.
Nairobi resident, Bob Oduor, takes the bishop's side.
"I think it's more offensive to the Catholic Church or kind of ridicule. It intended to spread information that is not right, from the word catholic when you see Catholics for choice I think, the word catholic here is not meant to mean the Catholic Church," said Oduor.
Kenyan Catholics attending mass at the Holy Family Basilica Nairobi, said the adverts not only offended catholics it stands against African moral values and derided the message as a insensitive US-import.
"Let the Americans talk for the Americans because they have their own culture, they have their own practices, they have their own values but for us if we are able to retain our morals, we are able to retain our values, we are able even to bring our children and especially youth to value sex," a worshipper Lillian Waweru said
The anti-condom remarks contradict the view of Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI who inferred that condoms were a first step towards the prevention of diseases.
But this does not change the fact that Kenyan bishops and followers of the Catholic faith are not going to accept the concept of condom use among them
Only last month, a TV advert encouraging married women who have extra marital affairs to use condoms as a source of protection was pulled after an outcry from the religious community within the country.