VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican has clarified the pope's controversial comments about condoms by saying he by no means suggested their use could be justified as a means of avoiding pregnancy.
The Vatican's moral watchdog, the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, issued the statement Tuesday saying some commentators had misunderstood and misrepresented the pope's remarks in a book-length interview released last month, "Light of the World."
The Vatican has been under pressure from conservative theologians to issue such a statement amid widespread confusion about the pope's remarks and whether he was breaking with church teaching.
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