Pope's stance on condoms not revolutionary, says Vatican

The Vatican has sought to clarify Pope Benedict's remarks on the use of condoms, reported in a book to be published this week, insisting the pontiff's comments were not "revolutionary".

But the statement made clear that the pope was prepared to consider the use of condoms in certain, limited circumstances, reports the BBC.

Vatican spokesperson Fr Federico Lombardi said the pope’s view was that "condoms were not an answer to the AIDS pandemic, but its use could sometimes be justified in exceptional cases".

"The pope considered an exceptional situation in which the exercise of sexuality is a real danger to the life of another," the spokesperson added.

Pope Benedict caused surprise by taking as his example a male prostitute using a condom.

"The Pope maintains that condom use to lessen the danger of infection is a ‘first assumption of responsibility’,” said Fr Lombardi, quoting from the book ‘Light of the World: The Pope, the Church and the Signs of the Times".

"In this, the reasoning of the Pope certainly cannot be defined as a revolutionary breakthrough," he added.

The Vatican has long opposed condoms as an artificial form of contraception.

This had drawn heavy criticism, particularly from AIDS campaigners, who said condoms were one of the few methods proven to stop the spread of HIV.