A Vatican cardinal opened an
international conference on AIDS by strongly defending the church's
two-pronged strategy against the disease: education of consciences and
mobilization of Catholic health resources for patients.
Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican secretary of state, told more
than 100 invited experts May 27 that the church places human dignity at
the center of its AIDS policies, which necessarily include a solid
ethical dimension.
"Educating people to avoid high-risk behavior, when based on solid moral
principles, fully demonstrates its effectiveness and translates into
greater openness toward those already affected by the virus," the
cardinal said.
"When responsibility for one's own behavior is affirmed, in fact, there
is greater awareness of the connection with the rest of the community
and greater sensitivity toward those who suffer," he said.
Cardinal Bertone underlined the Catholic Church's massive involvement in
treating and caring for AIDS patients through its worldwide network of
hospitals, clinics and dispensaries. He said part of the church's effort
was to help remove the "social stigma" that is still borne by those
with HIV and AIDS.
The cardinal did not mention the question of condoms in AIDS prevention.
In previous days, the Vatican newspaper ran two articles saying condom
campaigns were unsuccessful in stopping the AIDS epidemic; one article
said condom campaigns had increased the possibility of AIDS infection by
promoting a false sense of security.
Archbishop Zygmunt Zimowski, head of the Pontifical Council for Health
Care Ministry, told the assembly that the conference would take up the
crucial issue of access to health care by AIDS patients in poorer
countries.
The conference participants included a top U.N. official, medical experts from various parts of the world and theologians.