MADRID, Jan 20 (AFP) - The Spanish Catholic Church's about-face on the use of condoms in the fight against AIDS was met with anger Thursday by left-wing politicians, commentators and gay rights groups who labeled the church's position as unreasonable and inhuman.

"The surprise and hope felt by many lasted only a few hours," the Catalan newspaper El Periodico said in an editorial. "What is truly immoral is the Church's rejection of a method that saves human lives."

The paper was referring to an announcement on Tuesday by the spokesman for Spain's Conference of Catholic Bishops, Juan Antonio Martinez Camino, who said condoms could be used as part of the global effort to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Spanish Church officials and the Vatican, however, quickly stepped in to set the record straight, saying the Roman Catholic Church remained opposed to the use of condoms and that doctrine remained the same.

"The use of prophylactics is unacceptable even as a solution to the problem of AIDS, because the objective is the fight against fornication," Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan, the Vatican's health secretary, said in an interview published by the Italian newspaper La Repubblica.

Spanish Health Minister Elena Salgado said the Church had taken a moral position on condoms which could not act as a substitute for the arguments of scientists and the World Health Organisation, who recommended abstinence, fidelity and condoms.

"These are moral considerations aimed to give guidance to the faithhul," she said.

But Church views "cannot replace the arguments of scientists and the World Health Organisation."

Martinez Camino's comments concerning the use of condoms came after he met Salgado Tuesday to try to find common ground between the Church and the government on fighting the spread of AIDS.

The Socialist-led government, which is at odds with the Catholic Church on a number of issues including homosexual marriages and embryonic cell research, did not issue an official reaction.

But the spokeswoman on health issues for the Socialist members of parliament, Isabel Puzuelo, condemned the Church for what she called its unreasonable stance.

"It seems that the Spanish Church received instructions to go back on what was a reasonable stand," she said.

Spain's conservative opposition leader Mariano Rajoy reacted cautiously to the controversy, saying "the Church has a perfect right to defend its positions."

But he added: "The government will take the decisions that considers in the general interest."

Spain's center-right newspaper El Mundo said the Vatican's stern response to Martinez Camino's comments had dashed the hopes of secular members of society as well as scientific organizations, left-wing politicians and progressive Christians.

Beatriz Gimeno, head of Spain's Gay and Lesbian Federation, lamented the fact that the Church had renounced "an act of lucidity".

El Pais newspaper said the Church doctrine on condom use could "constitute a serious threat to public health".

Miquel Iceta, spokesman for the Catalan Socialist Party, urged the Vatican to reflect on what he called an inhuman position.

"Even bishops must be aware of the weakness of human nature and must know that it does not attain divine perfection," he said.

However, the medical charity Medecins du Monde (Doctors of the World) said that by raising the issue of morality when speaking about contraceptives, the Spanish Church appeared at least to have backed away from its stand that contraceptives did not help prevent contagious diseases.

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