Irish priest welcomes Pope's comments on condoms

One of Ireland's most outspoken Catholic priests, Fr Brian D'arcy, is welcoming comments the Pope has made about condoms.

Over the weekend, Pope Benedict declared he believes the use of condoms is acceptable in certain cases.

The Pontiff admitted that the use of condoms could stem the spread of the HIV virus.

The comments are being seen as a U-turn by the Catholic Church, which has always banned the use of contraceptives.

Fr D'arcy said it "won't make a huge difference" to the views and practices of Catholics in Ireland.