By Katherine Stanley - Tico Times Staff

President Oscar Arias, who returned Sunday from his two-week tour of Switzerland, Germany and Italy, met with the press at Casa Presidencial yesterday to discuss his meeting with Pope Benedict XVI and other aspects of his trip. During the papal visit, the President voiced his support for contraceptive methods as a means to combat overpopulation and proposed an international conference on disarmament, according to Arias.

He acknowledged that the Catholic Church’s position on birth control is unlikely to change but said it’s still important for the church’s leaders to hear the world’s concerns.

According to Arias, “the Church should consider being more flexible” because governments in developing countries don’t have the means to educate their increasing populations.

“We’re condemning poor countries to continue being poor,” Arias added. “The Church has a significant responsibility in that.”

The 1987 Nobel Peace Prize winner, who spoke about disarmament June 8 before the International Labour Organization (ILO) in Geneva, Switzerland, also said yesterday that developed countries that sell arms to the developing world are committing “more than a sin.”

The Costa Rica Consensus, which Arias promoted during his trip, would require developed nations to allocate debt forgiveness based not only on poverty levels of recipient countries, but also on how those governments spend their funds, rewarding nations that reduce their military spending.

“It’s an idea whose time has come,” he said.

Arias’ trip included meetings with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Italian President Giorgio Napolitano and business leaders considering investment in Costa Rica. While in Germany, he watched the Costa Rican National Soccer Team lose to the host country of the World Cup (TT, June 16).