Pope Francis on condoms, fundamentalism and more

'Fundamentalism is a sickness that is in all religions.'

On Monday, November 30, Pope Francis delivered an in-flight press conference on his way to Rome from Bangui, Central African Republic.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Pope Francis was very open with the variety of topics brought up during the press conference, including his thoughts on fundamentalism, condom usage and his tour of Africa.

In light of the Paris terror attacks, Pope Francis was asked about religious fundamentalism. The pontiff responded, "We are all God's children, we all have the same Father ... We need to live peacefully alongside one another, develop friendships."

Fundamentalism within the Church brought the Pope to comment, "Fundamentalism is a sickness that is in all religions. We Catholics have some - and not some, many - who believe they possess the absolute truth and go ahead dirtying the other with calumny, with disinformation, and doing evil. They do evil. I say this because it is my Church."

Pope Francis continued, saying, "Religious fundamentalism isn't religion, it's idolatry." He claimed ideas and false certainties leave little space for faith as well as to love God and others.

"You cannot cancel a whole religion because there is a group or many groups of fundamentalists at certain moments of history," the pontiff said.

When asked about the Vatileaks trial, Pope Francis claimed not to have "lost any sleep."
However, he did say he hoped the trial would conclude before the opening of the Year of Mercy on December 8. Unfortunately, he believes it will not end so quickly, as the defendants' lawyers require sufficient time to properly defend their clients.

Pope Francis also commented on Pope Benedict XVI, saying he began to handle Vatican finance issues and "was the first one to speak against corruption."

In a change of topic, Pope Francis said he believes the Catholic Church "should change its teaching" about using condoms, particularly because he was returning from countries ravaged by HIV and AIDS.

The pontiff believes an ongoing question for Catholic moral theology is whether condoms can be used to prevent death, or if their contraceptive nature would violate the teaching of supporting all life.

He spoke of the people dying from starvation and the lack of clean water, adding that once the world makes more strides to conquer these problems, it would then be "legitimate to ask whether it is licit" to use condoms as a preventative measure against HIV and AIDS.

Pope Francis admitted God is a God of surprises, but he was not prepared for his first visit to Africa. He said the impressions that stood out the most were "The crowds, the joy, the ability to celebrate even with an empty stomach."

The pontiff said that after two years of civil war, the Central African Republic wanted "peace, reconciliation and forgiveness," as "they lived as brothers and sisters."

Local Catholic, Muslim and evangelical Christian leaders continue to help people learn to coexist in mutual respect, which pleased Pope Francis, who said, "One of the most-rare values today is that of brotherhood."

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