World | Pope Benedict XVI Pope's Shift on Condoms a Wise Move Conservative columnists like the pontiff's declaration By John Johnson Posted Nov 23, 2010 12:36 PM CST Copied In this photo taken Sunday, Nov. 21, 2010, Pope Benedict XVI holds the book of the gospels during a Mass in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito) The pope's declaration that condoms are OK for prostitutes wins praise from two conservative columnists today: Michael Gerson, Washington Post: It's a "welcome and necessary shift," he writes. Benedict isn't conceding "the moral ideal" of abstinence outside of marriage, but he's suggesting "that there is a moral aspect even to acts the church considers immoral." With AIDS ravaging Africa, he's giving a needed acknowledgment to human nature. Jonah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times: Essentially the pope is saying that under "certain circumstances, using a condom would be less bad than not using one." (Sex workers being his example.) "The pontiff understands that not all harms are equal," and, further, that a sex worker who puts on a condom might be taking the first step toward becoming a more moral person. "Given the core assumptions of Catholic moral thought, I think Benedict's reasoning is perfectly sound." Read These Next Surgical staff squares off with ICE agents. 'Bad batch' of drugs causes mass OD in Baltimore. Jack White made it to 50 without owning a cellphone. He fired the crucial 'ninth shot' against Trump gunman. Report an error