'Pope as prevention' Condom use by Catholics increased in five HIV endemic countries in sub-Saharan Africa during Pope Benedict XVI's tenure

摘要

HIV continues to be a major global health challenge with 2.5 million new infections each year, 1.8 million of which take place in sub-Saharan Africa [1]. Condoms play a key role in limiting the HIV epidemic by acting as a physical barrier and keeping down the number of new strains [2]. In November 2010, in a historic shift, Pope Benedict XVI said that their use might be justified on a case-by-case basis to prevent the spread of HIV [3]. This appeared to be a relaxation of a hitherto uncompromising Vatican ban on the use of artificial contraception [4]. Whether Pope Benedict XVFs policy shift affected condom use by the 170 million Catholics living in sub-Saharan Africa, and to what extent, remains largely unknown. Here, we briefly describe condom use by Catholics in five HIV endemic countries in sub-Saharan Africa during Pope Benedict XVFs tenure, which lasted from April 2005 until February 2013.