Time to Get Religion

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The Rev. Evatt Mugagura knows he's lucky to be alive. The 35-year-old Anglican priest grew up in Nyamifura, a western Ugandan village that has been ravaged by AIDS: "Most of the people my age, the ones I studied with, the ones I grew up with, have died." The devastation drove Mugagura to become what many derisively call a "condom priest." He reversed his stance against birth control and began distributing condoms in his parish, personally teaching villagers how to use them. "Losing so many close friends gave me the courage to continue talking," says Mugagura. "Because if I had had a way of reaching them with a condom, I would have them now--sinners as they may be."

Mugagura's views are controversial--and rare. …