No sign of new stance

The Pope's statements on condom use by no means indicate a change in stance, the left-liberal daily Der Standard writes: "If the Pope were truly committed to playing a key socio-political role as head of the Church he would have taken a serious interest in the subject of birth control. This would have been a clever (power) political move. He could have put the Church on the map as a politically independent body which acts on socio-political issues unfettered by material interests. But Benedict's condom statements are devoid of both substance and vision. According to Church insiders, his words are primarily intended to be read as an 'act of charity and goodness'. This reinforces the impression left by the Pope after the abuse debate: From the lofty heights of his position he looks down on us mortal sinners with arrogant leniency at best. When he feels like it he may show a smidgen of forgiveness, sometimes even for male prostitutes. But there's no sign of a reversal in attitude."

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