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Associated Press/Photo by Gregorio Borgia

Pope says nope

Two months after an open letter from 60 Catholic groups called the Church's stance on contraception "catastrophic" for the world's poor, Pope Benedict XVI has reaffirmed the Church's 40-year-old injunction against members using artificial birth control. He said the position is meant to protect "the beauty of conjugal love" but allowed that Catholic couples in "dire circumstances" could still employ the natural rhythm method to prevent pregnancy.

The Church first issued its encyclical against contraception in 1968 when widespread use of birth-control pills helped ignite the sexual revolution. Millions of Catholics, including many committed married couples, have ignored the ban ever since. More recently, human-rights groups have argued that the Church's stance contributes to the spread of AIDS in undeveloped countries. The Vatican dismisses such charges as propagandistic and has never wavered in its position.

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