Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2005. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Associated Press - November 30, 2005
Daniela Petroff
Benedict was adding his voice to a call by the United Nations for a renewed commitment by the international community to fight the disease. Each year the organization sets aside Dec. 1 as World AIDS Day.
Speaking during his weekly public audience to several thousand pilgrims and tourists gathered in St. Peter's Square, the pope called the figures on AIDS victims "alarming" and reiterated the church's commitment to the care of the sick.
"The church has always considered the care of the sick an integral part of its mission. I therefore encourage the many initiatives aimed at weakening this illness, especially by church communities," Benedict said.
In a message issued earlier this week by the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Health Pastoral Care, the Vatican blamed what it called a "pansexual culture that devalues sexuality" for the spread of AIDS and recommended keeping sex exclusive to marriage as a way of preventing the disease.
The Vatican's opposition to condoms as been criticized by those who advocate their use as a way to help combat the spread of the HIV virus.
At the end of his appeal, Benedict offered prayers for the victims and their families.
"I feel close to those sick from AIDS and their families, and I invoke for them the help and comfort of the Lord," the pope said in Italian.
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