Author will share the results of a four-year study on the evolution of policies within the church to allow for condom use in certain circumstances

New York, NY -- (ReleaseWire) -- 02/27/2015 -- Dr. John Kinkel, an Oakland University professor, will present the results of a four-year study on the previous and current AIDS policies of the Catholic Church.

The presentation, which will take place February 28 at a meeting of the Eastern Sociological Society in New York, will focus on Kinkel's in-depth examination of the objections of more than 35 bishops and cardinals from 1987 to 2009. These church officials regularly advocated for the use of condoms to help fight the spread of AIDS across the globe, an effort that eventually paid off with changes to overall church policy.

"After years of debate and pressing Vatican leaders for change, a remarkably small group of cardinals and bishops were able to convince church bureaucrats that it was wise to alter their views on condom use, especially as it relates to AIDS prevention," said Kinkel. "These officials' advocacy led to now-retired Pope Benedict XVI altering his teaching, which had previously involved staunch opposition to using condoms under any circumstances. This was an incredible movement within the church that resulted in real change, even though it took more than two decades to take hold."

For many years, the Catholic Church remained firmly opposed to the use of condoms and other forms of birth control, a policy that impeded efforts to battle the spread of AIDS from the 1980s to now. The group of cardinals and bishops featured in the study were able to convince "old theology" clerics at the Vatican to realize that condom use could be viewed as a contraceptive, or "contra-virus." They successfully argued that using a condom to help prevent a deadly disease was a morally just action—and one that should actually be commended rather than condemned."

According to Dr. Kinkel, the tragedy of this story lies in the fact that for nearly 30 years, some Catholic priests and their faithful followers dutifully avoided the use of condoms, following papal directives. Many Catholics died because of these policies.

"In my paper, I argue that the current Pope Francis should officially apologize for church failings," said Kinkel. "Many individuals and families suffered greatly over the years, and a large number of people died simply because they were following a flawed church policy."

About Dr. Kinkel
Dr. Kinkel is the author of the book "Papal Paralysis: How the Vatican dealt with the AIDS Crisis," published by Lexington Books. The February 28 presentation will take place at the New York Broadway Millennium Hotel in Manhattan.

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Film and book highlight the failures of U.S. politicians and the Catholic Church to help AIDS victims

Rochester, MI -- (ReleaseWire) -- 05/30/2014 -- A recent HBO film called "The Normal Heart" has earned a lot of publicity recently. The film details the story of how the United States government failed many AIDS victims in the early 1980s due to unrealistic directives (abstinence), homophobia and simply ignoring the pandemic.

In his new book, "Papal Paralysis: How the Catholic Church Dealt with the AIDS Crisis," Dr. John Kinkel demonstrates how the Catholic Church misfired on many of the same cylinders in dealing with the AIDS crisis. With HBO's film gaining publicity and bringing the issue of AIDS awareness and treatment back to the public eye, this book has now become even more relevant.

"We know all about how United States leaders ignored the AIDS problem for years and thought that it was specifically a 'gay' disease," said Dr. Kinkel. "The HBO film does an excellent job of highlighting this. But religious groups were just as homophobic and unhelpful in their approach to the disease, and the Catholic Church was no exception."

The book, which came out in January, discusses how Pope John Paul II told Catholics to fight the spread of AIDS through marital fidelity and abstinence, but failed to promote the use of condoms to help prevent the disease, much to the chagrin of medical and policy experts. The Church also displayed its homophobic nature more than once. At one point, Archbishop John Foley stated that "AIDS is a form of natural selection against homosexual behavior," and was never punished by the Pope for these ludicrous remarks.

It wasn't until 1987 that the U.S. Catholic Church admitted that condoms could be used as a last resort to help fight AIDS, and this was after the CDC finally declared that HIV/AIDS was a worldwide pandemic. According to the CDC, more than 636,000 people have died of AIDS in the United States alone.

"Both the U.S. Catholic bishops and secular leaders were far too slow to grasp the true nature and extent of AIDS, and because of that, many lives were lost in the 1980s," said Dr. Kinkel. "HBO has done an excellent job of telling the story about how United States public policy failed these victims. It is important that people are made aware of how the Catholic Church failed them as well."

"Papal Paralysis: How the Catholic Church Dealt with the AIDS Crisis" may now be purchased through its publisher, Lexington Books. For more information about the book and Dr. Kinkel's views and writings on AIDS prevention, please visit www.LexingtonBooks.com or call toll free at 1-800-462-6420.

About Dr. John Kinkel
Dr. John Kinkel is a professor of medical sociology at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. He has written a number of books on the Catholic Church and various social issues, including "Papal Paralysis: How the Vatican Dealt with the AIDS Crisis." He holds an M.A. from Marquette University and a Ph.D. from Ohio State University.

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm