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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