Donald Trump and Zika virus comments show that this is a Pope who makes his heart known

Pope Francis opening a window of hope for women affected by Zika shows that he is a humane leader of the church

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump reads from a statement about Pope Francis during a campaign rally in Kiawah, South Carolina (AFP/Getty)

Pope Francis’ remark that contraception is a “lesser evil” compared to the scourge of the Zika virus is hugely significant.

For a long time, the Catholic Church has been in a position where the laity has done one thing and the clergy has preached another. It is widely accepted that the ban on artificial contraception is ignored by a substantial portion of the laity, but it is still the formal position of the church that it is “intrinsically evil” and that places it on the same level as abortion. I think many people might have sympathy with the church’s stance on abortion, but not on contraception.

Even in places where Aids has been rampant, the church has strongly resisted calls for artificial birth control to help fight that disease. In my view, this has inflicted terrible suffering on women in particular.

Now we have the Zika virus and women have been told not to get pregnant. But it might not be easy for women to avoid having intercourse with their husbands. And if they practise the teaching of the church, how can they avoid getting pregnant? With his remarks, Pope Francis has opened a window of hope for them and he has shown, once again, he is a humane leader of the church. It’s a loving thing to do and it will endear him to millions of people around the world.

It is also a courageous thing to do. There are conservative forces within the Church who will be deeply unhappy with the Pope’s comments and there will almost certainly be a bitter battle over this within the church in the coming months.

However, there is a phrase in the Catholic Church “in pectore” which means “in your heart”. It’s used when they make appointments to the College of Cardinals that are not publicly announced for political or social reasons in a particular country. And there are many cardinals and priests who support contraception “in pectore” -- but not in public.

If Francis truly believes Donald Trump is not a Christian, then this is a view that he might have been better to have kept “in pectore”. The Pope has said previously: “If a person is gay and seeks God and has good will, who am I to judge?” I think the same applies to Mr Trump – in that it’s not for the Pope to judge whether he is a Christian or not.

It’s perfectly acceptable for Francis to comment on political issues, but I wouldn’t be surprised if, on reflection, Francis might even apologise for questioning an individual’s faith.

Ruth Gledhill is contributing editor for Christian Today @ruthiegledhill