Living in the past

*update*
France has criticized the Pope's words. Many NGOs have also expressed their disappointment. They all agree that his views are unrealistic and that he doesn't get it.
And proof that South Africa is condemned - South Africa is widely believed to have one of the highest incidences of rape in the world. About 50,000 rapes were reported in 2001 alone, although women's groups say this is just a small percentage of total number. They estimate that a woman is raped every 26 seconds and a child every 15 minutes. The South African police service gives a slightly lower estimate of one woman every 36 seconds. ... The youngest case of rape here was of a 3-month-old; in other parts of the country there have been reports of sexual attacks on newborn infants. Quote from womensenews.org.

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The Pope has lost his marbles, hasn't he?
He claimed that the use of condoms is aggravating the AIDS/HIV epidemic in Africa.

"You can't resolve it [Aids] with the distribution of condoms," the pope said. "On the contrary, it increases the problem."

I think all the campaigners and tireless aid workers there did not see that one coming. The last time I read/heard something so silly and horrifying was last year when an African bishop accused the Western countries of using condoms to destroy the black people. He claimed that *brace yourselves* the condoms have been tainted with HIV and thus the use of condoms will only cause more people to die. And he went on to support unprotected sex/rape or whatever is going on in that damned continent.

This was what I was told: In every 10 women that walks past you in Africa, 2 have not been raped.
In view of this how can the Pope use the abstinence policy in Africa? Men there have a huge and uncontrolled appetite and they don't stop at nothing. One day, they will become more educated and civilized but until then, you just can't tell them to 'abstain from sex'. Will not work.

You may also have heard of how young kids are experimenting nowadays. The larger the city, the younger they start. You don't have to talk to the teens in big, bad America to know that they start young - come talk to the kids in Singapore. What you will find out might very well shock you.

And do you remember the news of 13 year-old Alfie Patten who fathered a child in UK? That, a very surface story, was reported in the mainstream news just last month. But do you know the back story of that piece of news? The 15 year-old mother was sleeping with almost every boy her age in her street. And now a few boys are coming out to lay claim on the child because all of them claimed to have slept with her around that time. Whoa.

Not too long ago also I read that 7 out of 10 kids who take the abstinence vow break the vow before they turn 20. I wish I could show you the article but I can't seem to find it right now.

Today's society has changed so much. Information reaches us faster, kids mature younger, television is badder, parents are busier, religion has taken a backseat, and even how we socialize has changed. Abstinence is no longer the answer to solving the HIV issue. Please my dear Pope you need to take more walks and longer walks too. You're living in another world that's not ours.