Reuters: Church should think about humanity, not the Bible

I happened across this video report from Reuters on Tricia's homepage. Since the video may not be visible for long, I've typed up a transcript. The headline was "Change called for in church attitudes".

[Various shots of Pope John Paul II walking and speaking and crowds] Reporter: He's been hailed as a force for peace, but to many, Pope John Paul was also an obstacle to progress. While he championed human rights, he opposed homosexuality, women clergy and abortion. He also refused to endorse the use of condoms, despite being a weapon in the fight against AIDS. [Cut to video of a woman speaking with an African accent apparently behind a desk] Woman: I think need to get in touch with Africa know the reality on the ground, and defend humanity rather than what is in the Bible. [Closeup of a booklet about AIDS, pan back to show one person explaining to another, handing out of condoms in a poor village] Reporter: The Catholic Church even claimed artificial contraception could be a cause of HIV. [Cut to man speaking with a British accent] Man: People will not continue to put up with a church that endorses patriarchy and homophobia. They will not continue to tolerate a church which is refusing to give a leave while endorsing the use of condoms. [Long shot and closeups of "Kenya Network of Women With AIDS", woman interviewed earlier behind a counter with two other women shuffling papers, rack of pamphlets with titles "Talking about... condoms", "Talking about... The Facts on AIDS", "Talking about... Living with HIV & AIDS", same woman now pointing at papers and talking with a man] Reporter: Africa is one of the few places where the church is expanding. Many there hope the Pope's successor will be a modernizer. They say conservative doctrines have increased poverty, disease, and the population. They're praying those attitudes will be buried with the Pope. Sonya Legg [sp?], Reuters

I Googled for Kenya Network of Women with AIDS and determined that the woman interviewed is likely Ms. Asunta Wagura, Executive Director of KENWA. From a quick scan of their site, it doesn't appear they have any affiliation to the Catholic church or any other church. Nor do they have anything in their mission/approach that suggests they recommend church involvement as part of the support for women with AIDS. A cynical reader might wonder if Ms. Wagura was trying to drum up funding from the Catholic Church or from Catholics by this interview. Reading over the site, I find even that hard to believe - they write an awful lot about how governments and states must fund and encourage and foster. I couldn't find the word "Catholic" or "church" on any of a few likely pages from that website, though they're obviously interested in raising funds from individual donors as well. My suspicion is that she was just someone willing to speak against the church on this topic, and the reporter was able to get the story she wanted. Perhaps that's even a bit too cynical, but it's hard to see this as anything but a slam on the church.