Sex shop to give away "Pope condoms"

Pope Benedict XVI waves to the crowd gathered below in Saint Peter's square during Regina Coeli prayers at the Vatican May 16, 2010.

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - A Dutch sex shop will be giving away 2,000 "Pope condoms" this weekend in a dig at the Roman Catholic Church.

De Condoomfabriek (The Condom Factory) said it wanted to make a point about sexually transmitted diseases, unwanted pregnancies and the Vatican's opposition to contraceptives.

The condom wrapper carries the image of a papal figure with an unmistakable general likeness to Pope Benedict, though the figure's face is removed. It bears the words "I SAID NO! We say YES!" framing the papal image.

The suggestion of a "pope condom" caused a diplomatic row last month when Britain's Foreign Office was forced to apologize for a memorandum by a civil servant that suggested Benedict launch a papal-brand condom on his pending visit to the UK.

(Reporting by Ben Berkowitz; Editing by Steve Addison)