Archbishop Celestino Migliore, apostolic nuncio and permanent observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, has issued a statement calling upon nations to place greater emphasis on the moral law in their AIDS prevention efforts.TheUnited Nations General Assembly is discussing the implementation of its 2001 Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS.
“Given the significant engagement of Catholic Church-sponsored organizations in providing care in all parts of the world for those with HIV/AIDS, my delegation takes this occasion to note that the global community continues to be confronted by many obstacles in its efforts to respond adequately to this problem, for example, that 7,400 people become infected with HIV every day; that nearly four million people are currently receiving treatment, while 9.7 million people are still in need of such life-saving and life-prolonging interventions; and that for every two people who commence treatment, five more become infected,” Archbishop Migliore noted.
“My delegation strongly recommends that more attention and resources be dedicated to support a value-based approach grounded in the human dimension of sexuality, that is to say, a spiritual and human renewal that leads to a new way of behaving toward others,” he continued.
“The spread of AIDS can be stopped effectively, as has been affirmed also by public health experts, when this respect for the dignity of human nature and for its inherent moral law is included as an essential element in HIV prevention efforts.”
Expressing concern at cutbacks in funding for antiretroviral treatment in developing nations, Archbishop Migliore said that “Catholic Church-related providers in Uganda, South Africa, Haiti, and Papua New Guinea, among others, report that international donors have instructed them not to enroll new patients into these programs and express concern about further cutbacks even for those already receiving such treatment.”
“The global community carries a serious responsibility to offer equitable and continuous access to such medications,” he added.
“Failure to do so will not only cause untold loss and suffering to those individuals and families directly affected by the disease but also will have grave public health, social, and economic consequences for the entire human family.”
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