VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Pope Benedict's landmark acknowledgement that condoms are sometimes morally justifiable to stop Aids can apply to anyone — gays, heterosexuals and transsexuals — if that is the only option to avoid transmitting the HIV virus to others, the Vatican said on Tuesday.The clarification, which some moral theologians called "groundbreaking", was the latest step in what is already seen as a significant shift in Catholic Church policy. It came at a news conference to launch the Pope's new book, "Light of the World: The Pope, the Church, and the Sign of the Times".

In the book, a long interview with journalist Peter Seewald, the Pope made clear he was not changing the Catholic ban on contraception, but said there were cases where using a condom to avoid transmitting the HIV virus could be justified.