Pope rejects condoms for Africa
The spread of HIV and Aids in Africa should be tackled through fidelity
and abstinence and not by condoms, Pope Benedict XVI has said.
Speaking to African bishops at the Vatican, the Pope described HIV/Aids in
Africa as a "cruel epidemic".
But he told them: "The traditional teaching of the church has proven to
be the only failsafe way to prevent the spread of HIV/Aids."
More than 60% of the world's 40m people with HIV live in sub-Saharan Africa.
In South Africa alone, 600-1,000 people are thought to die every day because of
Aids.
Pope Benedict, who was elected to succeed John Paul II in April, has
already signalled that he will maintain a strictly traditional line on
issues including abortion and homosexuality.
Before being elected pope, Benedict served as head of the Vatican's doctrinal
office.
These were his first public comments on the issue of Aids/HIV and contraception
since taking office.
He was addressing bishops from South Africa, Botswana, Swaziland,
Namibia and Lesotho, who had travelled to the Vatican for a routine
papal audience.
Some Catholic clergymen have argued that the use of condoms to stem the spread
of the disease would be a "lesser of two evils".
The Pope warned that contraception was one of a host of trends
contributing to a "breakdown in sexual morality", and church teachings
should not be ignored.
"It is of great concern that the fabric of African
life, its very source of hope and stability, is threatened by divorce,
abortion, prostitution, human trafficking and a contraception
mentality," he added.
The virus "seriously threatens the economic and social stability of the
continent," the Pope said.
The UN estimates that without new initiatives and greater access to
drugs, more than 80 million Africans may die from Aids by 2025 and HIV
infections could reach 90 million, or 10% of the continent's
population.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/europe/4081276.stm
Published: 2005/06/10 15:04:01 GMT
© BBC MMIX
---------------
Jusfiq Hadjar gelar Sutan Maradjo Lelo
Allah yang disembah orang Islam tipikal dan yang digambarkan oleh al-Mushaf itu
dungu, buas, kejam, keji, ganas, zalim lagi biadab hanyalah Allah fiktif.
