The Catholic Church in Spain backtracked late Wednesday from a leading bishop's groundbreaking statement in support of condom use to fight the spread of AIDS.
[..]
But on Wednesday night the conference issued a statement saying the bishop's comments "must be understood in the context of Catholic doctrine, which holds that use of condoms is immoral sexual conduct."
[..]
It said abstinence and fidelity among sexual partners are the best ways to combat the spread of AIDS and that scientists agree with this approach. "In accordance with these principles, it is not possible to recommend the use of condoms, as it is contrary to a person's morals," the statement said.
[..]
He said the church had back-pedalled because the Vatican spoke out after the Spanish bishop and it reiterated its opposition to use of condoms. "We return to conservative positions," he said.

you don't need to read da vinci's code (fiction by the way and with more distortions than you'd expect to find in michael moore's work) to see the mistakes the church continues to make even in the 21st century. only unlike past centuries no one is listening anymore. i was raised in a catholic home but my parents' religiousity did not register with me. as a kid lot of it had to do with having to go to a catholic high school and what a joke that really is. i lost four potential credits in sciences or something because the school would not let me graduate unless i take religion classes each year. and many times my lunch period was cut short because of one the spot masses in the cafe. it ain't cool when you interfere with a man's right to eat. when i bought my first pack of condoms i wasn't thinking my purchase may be upsetting the pope. i was young horny and gonna get laid. nothing was going to stop me. i take it that majority of the world shares the same sentiment. no church bulletin that satan resides in each and every condom is going to scare enough me not to slip it on.

i have nothing against religious people. all the power to you and your faith. but i take offense to a relic institution attempting to impose its "moral" rules on the world when it has its own skeletons in the closet. faith should be something personal. something according to your personal values and ideals. maybe some people require a large institution to lay out the plan to the moral life but i can't see how the church can. in the story above you had section of the church attempt to break away from a fixated worldview only to have the leash tightened by the big old dog. though i personally do have it and do not know where to begin to look for it the church is the last place i'd turn to in my spiritual quest.