Responding to severe criticism of the pope and his comment on the condom use for preventing AIDS in Africa, the Vatican altered his original statement in a version posted on the Holy See’s website.
According to the Times report, the word “preservativi” (condom in English) was changed to “profilacttici” (prophylaxis). And it went back to “preservarativi” again. Besides, the amended version softened the message by adding the word “risked” [aggravating the problem].
It is said that the Pope knew the questions before in advance.
Then, why didn’t the pope and the Vatican prepare the answer to the question to message out?
Didn’t they expect furor against the Pope’s condom message?
The answer should be “Abstinence is the best preventive measure.” instead of “condom aggrevates the problem of AIDS.”
Interestingly, a report in the Telegraph tells how badly the Pope and the Vatican communicate and why.
The Pope is isolated and fails to adequately consult his advisers, said a Vatican source with 20 years’ knowledge of the Holy See….. “He’s out of touch with the real world,” the Italian insider said. “On the condom issue, for example, there are priests and bishops in Africa who accept that condoms are a key part of the fight against Aids, and yet the pope adheres to this very conservative line that they encourage promiscuity. The Vatican is far removed from the reality on the ground.” The Vatican’s traditional culture of secrecy has made it ill-equipped to communicate its message in the internet age. The Holy See claimed that the Pope had no idea that British bishop Richard Williamson had denied the extent of the Holocaust, but critics have pointed out that a simple Google search would have uncovered the maverick’s anti-Semitic views. “Until recently the Vatican was secretive and their way of controlling the message of the Church was to release information slowly and highly selectively through carefully worded documents,” said Francis X Rocca, Vatican correspondent for Religion News Service. “The problem now is that the internet and the blogosphere won’t wait for the Vatican, so its message gets swamped.”
A blogger suggests that “ Maybe it’s time for Benedict to educate himself on the difference between a blog and a tweet…or just get his head out of his ass. That might help too.”
My suggestion? Listen to people. Prepare key messages. Expect objections. Ask the right PR professionals. 
