El Paso (WBAP/KLIF News) – Pope Francis says he would support the use of contraception to slow the spread of Zika virus. The pope spoke with reporters on his flight to the Vatican from Mexico.
“Avoiding pregnancy is not an absolute evil,” the pope said. “In certain cases, it was clear.”
Pope Francis referenced Pope Paul VI, who issued a papal document opposing most forms of birth control, but let nuns in Belgian Congo use a form of contraception to prevent pregnancy as a result of rape in the 1960s.
“I would also urge doctors to do their utmost to find vaccines against mosquitoes that carry this disease,” he said. “This needs to be worked on.”
In 2010, Pope Benedict XVI said it was acceptable to use condoms to prevent the spread of disease.
Pope Francis’ comments will not change Catholic doctrine since he has not issued a papal encyclical on the issue. A papal encyclical is a letter sent to clergy and bishops that takes an official position on a theological issue.
Pope Francis was asked if contraception was the “lesser of two evils” compared with women who might seek an abortion if they learn their fetus is infected with Zika.
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