Demagogue

This morning, the Associated Press reports:

In a substantial shift from traditional policy, the Catholic Church in Spain has said it supports the use of condoms to prevent the spread of AIDS.

“Condoms have a place in the global prevention of AIDS,” Juan Antonio Martinez Campos, spokesman for the Spanish Bishops Conference, told reporters after a meeting Tuesday with Health Minister Elena Salgado to discuss ways of fighting the disease.

The Catholic Church has repeatedly rebuffed campaigns for it to endorse the use of condoms in the fight against AIDS. The Vatican states that condoms, because it is a form of artificial birth control, cannot be used to help prevent the spread of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Martinez Campos said the church’s stance was backed by the scientific world.

For most intelligent people, having science on your side is advisable. But Campos' reference to a position "backed by the scientific world" is actually breaking new ground for a church that has clashed with science repeatedly through the ages.