Bishops will fight HIV, but won’t endorse condoms

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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