Pope changes mind on issue of contraception

Pope Benedict XVI is set to permit Catholics the use of contraception "in the intention of reducing the risk of infection" in a new book-long interview.

The Pope was previously heavily vituperated in 2009 for telling reporters that allowing Africans the use of condoms would only make the AIDS crisis worse.

His change of stance will be published this Tuesday in a book-length interview called "Light of the World: The Pope, the Church and the Signs of the Times".

The book's publicist Austin Ivereigh says, "The Pope is not actually saying anything that would surprise moral theologians. What is surprising is that it is coming from the Pope.

"The church's teaching on contraception predates AIDS and predates new kinds of moral possibilities, which is that condoms can be used not as a means of preventing a conception but as a means of preventing transmission of a virus.

"Rome has been silent on this for some years. The difficulty has been how they can clarify this teaching without it looking like they are lifting the ban on contraception.

"It may well be that the pope has decided that this is the best way of doing it - through a book-length interview."