For the first time ever, a sitting pope has finally come out and said that condoms can be useful in helping to stop the spread of HIV, especially on the continent of Africa where more than 25 million people live with the disease.

In a new book, Pope Benedict XVI says that condoms can be justified for male prostitutes seeking to stop the spread of HIV. The book, “Light of the World: The Pope, the Church and the Signs of the Times,” was released Nov. 23 and was written by German journalist Peter Seewald, who interviewed Pope Benedict for six days this past summer.

The book is a stark contrast to Pope Benedict’s view in 2009, when he said the distribution on condoms in Africa actually increases the spread of HIV and AIDS.

Benedict said that condoms are not a moral solution but they could be justified “in the intention of reducing the risk of infection.” Pope Benedict called it “a first step in a movement toward a different way, a more human way of living sexuality.”

HIV groups throughout the world are thrilled that the pope is finally showing some progressive thinking.