Pope Benedict has got everyone talking after he broached the previously taboo subject of contraception in an interview with a German journalist.

Pope Benedict XVI stated that the use of condoms was sometimes an effective way of preventing the multiplication of HIV and used the example of male prostitutes using condoms, saying that it was responsible behaviour. The Pope made the comment when questioned about HIV in Africa.

The comments came as a surprise to many, as the Pope has previously blamed condoms for increasing the prevalence of HIV; in 2009 he told reporters that condoms had contributed to the spread of HIV in Africa, a comment which was greeted with anger by European governments, health organisations and AIDS activists. The Catholic Church teaches against the use of artificial contraception and has been criticised in the past for condemning the use of contraception.

The recent comment on the use of condoms may pave the way for a new way of thinking in the Catholic Church, although it remains to be seen how the perception will be received by other Catholic priests and devotees.