ARCHBISHOP Angel Lagdameo, president of the Catholic Bishops
Conference of the Philippines, Wednesday said the Church has told the
United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) that it would be lending a
hand in the fight against the disease by focusing mainly on the social
aspect of the problem.
"Our support is selective, which means to say we’ll help in
raising awareness to the people, and address stigma and discrimination,"
Lagdameo told CBCPNews, the official news agency of the CBCP.
The Jaro prelate immediately clarified that their help does not mean promoting condom use.
"We will not join in the promotion of condom use. It will just worsen the problem," he said.
Groups helping fight the spread of HIV and AIDS have been
pushing for condom use, saying it is the best way to prevent infection.
Lagdameo said the CBCP remains firm in the belief that the only
way to address the HIV/AIDS prevalence problem is through "a long-term
solution, which is behavioral change."
The CBCP is the strongest opponent of the use of condom which it considers a form of artificial contraceptive.
The prelates’ support to the anti-HIV/AIDS campaign comes on
the heels of a controversial statement from Pope Benedict XVI last
November, that condom use is acceptable "in certain cases" such as in
preventing the transmission of HIV.
Lagdameo’s statement was made after a four-hour meeting with
the UNAIDS Regional Support Team for Asia and the Pacific led by
director Steve Kraus at the Pope Pius XII Center in Manila.
Kraus welcomed the bishops’ commitment, saying it would be a
"remarkable" step in the prevention, treatment, support and care for
people living with HIV.
"Here in the Philippines, it’s crucial and logical that you
work closely with the Church…This is a good sign that we will intensify
our collaboration and work even close together," said Kraus.
He said the Catholic Church will serve a crucial role in
helping communities develop solidarity and, in the process, ensuring
that those infected with HIV/AIDS are treated with dignity and respect.
"We have to welcome people living with HIV into our homes and
into our parishes so that we can better understand their world and for
them to understand our world," Kraus said.
Records from the UNAIDS show there are some 33.3 million people worldwide living with HIV.
In the Philippines, there are now a total of 5,729 HIV cases with 852 having developed into full-blown AIDS cases.
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