Pope Benedict XVI

Pope Benedict XVI Tells Brazil's Youth to Abstain from Sex


Um....too late? Actually, it was never too late. Brazil and sex have gone together since the country was named. Soccer and auto racing soon followed.

I totally agree with his anti-violence message. Brazil's homicide rate and gang activity is quite high. That all traces back to its extreme inequality in wealth, not to mention corruption of all kinds.

Obviously what it means to be a catholic in the Americas has changed over the last 40 years, and the Vatican is having a hard time dealing with it. Hence, the defiance of Mexico City's local government in legalizing abortion, and the Pope's strong remarks that followed. It isn't the 16th Century anymore. The Vatican is not an empire to be obeyed.

I shudder to think what the HIV infection rate would be in Brazil if the government didn't hand out free condoms. It's too high as it is already.