Opponents of Pope's views to distribute condoms at mass
ČTK, Praguemonitor.com, 25. září 2009
Benedict XVI will arrive in the Czech Republic on September 26 and will stay there through September 28.
During his visit to Africa in March the Pope stated that the problem of AIDS could not be solved with the help of condoms and that their use, on the contrary, worsens the problems connected with the serious disease.
Representatives of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS, or UNAIDS, then criticised the Pope and he was also subjected to criticism by some politicians from France and Germany.
The Vatican spokesman then said the Pope mainly wanted to stress that relying on condoms distract people's attention from the need of proper sexual education.
The activists from the Czech Condom Positive movement Thursday placed a large sign in Prague with the address of their website CONDOMPOSITIVE.CZ to attract Praguers' attention to their activities.
People can express their agreement or disagreement with the Pope's position on the Internet.
Dubova said members of the movement wanted to trigger a public debate on Benedict XVI's controversial statement.
"We want him to know that people in the Czech Republic disagree with his view," she said.
She said the group's activity was not aimed against the Catholic Church as such and that some church-goers had supported it.
Representatives of Czech gay and lesbian groups have also announced protests against the Pope's position on condoms which they intend to stage during Benedict XVI's stay in the Czech Republic.
They will meet on Prague's Wenceslas Square on Monday, on the last day of the Pope's visit to express their disagreement with the Pope's alleged "policy of genocide."
Organisers of the Mezipatra (Mezzanine) gay and lesbian film festival that is annually held in the Czech Republic are participating in the preparation of the protests.
Apart from the mass in Brno-Turany airport, Benedict XVI will celebrate a mass in the town of Stara Boleslav, central Bohemia, on the last day of his visit, September 28, which is Saint Wenceslas Day.
St Wenceslas, the patron saint of Czechs, died a martyr's death in Stara Boleslav in 935.
Some 30,000 people who are expected to take part in the Saint Wenceslas National Pilgrimage will attend the mass.
The Pope will also meet representatives of the Czech Catholic Church and Czech public life during his visit.