Pope Francis condones use of contraception in areas hit by Zika virus

Pope Francis thinks the Roman Catholic Church should consider granting an exception to its prohibition of the use of contraception for women living in regions affected by the Zika virus. The Argentine pontiff told reporters Wednesday that, given the choice between children possibly being born with the birth defect microcephaly because their mother had contracted the mosquito-borne virus or allowing the use of artificial contraception, the latter was the "lesser of two evils."

Francis likened the Church's current moral dilemma to one that was faced by Pope Paul VI, who reigned from 1963-1978, in which he ultimately decided nuns in Africa could use contraception because of the threat of rape. "Avoiding pregnancy is not an absolute evil," Francis said. "In certain cases, as in this one, such as the one I mentioned of Blessed Paul VI, it was clear. I would also ask doctors to do their utmost to find vaccines against these mosquitoes that carry this disease. This needs to be worked on."

While Francis seems open to granting an exception for the use of contraceptives, he remained staunchly against abortions even in instances where the child was likely to be born with microcephaly. "Abortion is not a lesser evil," Francis said. "It is a crime."

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