Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2005. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2005. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Reuters NewMedia - November 30, 2005
Philip Pullella
"I feel close to those sick with AIDS and their families and I invoke for them the help and comfort of the Lord," he said in his comment for Thursday's World AIDS Day.
However, the Pope sidestepped the Church's general position against condoms to stop the spread of AIDS, a highly controversial stand which has drawn criticism from health workers both inside and outside the Church.
This appeared to be a continuation of a policy adopted in the final months of the reign of his predecessor John Paul in order not to provoke more criticism rather than any indication of an impending change in the regulation.
According to U.N. figures, nearly 5 million people were infected by HIV globally in 2005. Some 40.3 million people are living with the virus.
In his comments to pilgrims and tourists in St Peter's Square, the Pope said AIDS statistics were "alarming" and praised those in the Church working with AIDS sufferers.
"I encourage the many initiatives being promoted to eliminate this disease," he said.
The Church, which runs many hospitals and institutions to help AIDS victims, opposes the use of condoms except in the rarest of circumstances because they are a form of contraception.
It teaches that fidelity within heterosexual marriage, chastity and abstinence are the best ways to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS.
One exception sometimes cited by Church experts as an example is that of allowing the use of condoms in the case where a man with HIV/AIDS insists on having sex with his wife.
The Church says promoting condoms to fight the spread of AIDS fosters what it sees as immoral and hedonistic lifestyles and behavior that will only contribute to its spread.
In its message for World AIDS Day, the Vatican department on health issues said the spread of the disease was made worse by the "pansexual culture that devalues sexuality, reducing it to a mere pleasure without further significance."
Last year, the Vatican set up a new foundation called Good Samaritan to coordinate funds from charities and organizations helping AIDS victims, particularly in Africa.
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