THE Pope’s outburst about condoms and AIDS has understandably caused a firestorm of controversy.

An online petition protesting at the Pontiff’s position has now been started by the excellent global campaigning organisation, Avaaz.

It is clear about what Pope Benedict actually said about condoms on his flight to Africa, where 22 million people are infected with HIV.

As the controversy raged, both the BBC and the Times also seemed fairly categoric.

But then a familiar phenomenon took place. It became a process story: about the Vatican’s press office.

Even Radio 4’s current affairs flagship, Today sounded as though it was concentrating on the performance of the Pontiff’s spokesperson.

With senior clerics weighing in, it seemed a bit like shooting the messenger, rather than a serious debate about the effectiveness of condoms in helping combat the spread of AIDS.

Tell you what: Instead of blaming the Pope’s press office, why not change the message?