Dr. Janet E. Smith has an interesting and, I think, helpful article on The Catholic World Report web site titled What Does the Holy Father Really Say About Condoms in the New Book? I will not attempt to summarize it here, since I recommend reading the whole piece. However, she makes this interesting observation:
We can say that the Holy Father clearly did not want to make a point about condoms, but wants to talk about growth in a moral sense, which should be a growth towards Jesus.
Since the questions were very specifically about the use of condoms, Dr. Smith's observation suggests to me that the pope did not answer the question he was asked. I think that may be the case, and it would explain why so many people are trying to figure out what the answer actually is.
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