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Risky business
Francis X. Rocca
March 19, 2009

When you’re the pope, every word you say counts, especially on the subject of sex.

According to reporters who accompanied him on a flight to Cameroon on Tuesday, Pope Benedict said that the use of condoms “aggravates” the spread of HIV/AIDS. But according to the Vatican’s official transcript of the statement, he said that they only “risk” aggravating the problem.

One thing the pope and the press can agree on: abstinence is the only absolutely certain way to avoid making controversial remarks.


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