Aids will define our future

by Editor · Published November 26, 2003 · Updated March 6, 2012

It must be infuriating for those Catholics working in the field of HIV/Aids that in the secular arena the Church�s response is often reduced to its doctrines governing the use of condoms. For that, the Church itself must shoulder some of the blame.

The debate in the Church concerning condoms and their role in reducing the incidence of HIV transmission is more nuanced than the secular media�and some in the Vatican�seem to make allowance for.

The Southern African bishops have responded by tacitly approving the use of condoms in marriages where one partner is infected. The bishops of France, as early as 1996, acknowledged that condoms could be an option for those who cannot control their sexual impulses.

At the time, Bishop Albert Rouet of Poitier put it this way: “When an adult, as mature as one can be in this domain, considers he can�t do without sexual relations and there is a danger, it�s better he use the condom. That�s obvious.”

Even among those who disagree with such sentiments, some take a humane view. Italian Bishop Alessandro Maggiolini of Como has said that the Church must combine a compassionate recognition of human weakness with an elucidation of moral truths. “We priests,” he said, “should be adamant in what we teach, yet understanding in what we hear in the confessional.”

Such subtleties are likely to be lost on secular commentators, many of whom wish to use the condom issue as a stick with which to beat the Church. Matters are not helped, however, by Church leaders who base their reasoning on disputed scientific claims regarding the efficacy of condoms.

The Church�s debate on condoms and Aids will doubtlessly continue. Whatever its conclusion, it is clear that Catholics will agree on one fundamental truth: the only method of safe sex is abstinence outside marriage, and fidelity within.

While many may see the Church as having nothing substantial to offer in terms of Aids prevention, the Catholic engagement in caring for those who have Aids and those affected by it merits wide commendation.

Alas, where Catholic Aids projects receive wider media coverage, their connection to the Church often is marginalised. This is inequitable, because it is the Christian, indeed Catholic charism that drives these projects in the first place.

This week we report on the various types of Aids projects run under the Church�s banner. These range from initiatives originated at bishops� conference level to parish outreach programmes. Combined, they make the Church the biggest non-governmental provider of Aids care in South Africa.

This is a splendid record. However, much more needs to be done.

For those who are inspired to service, there are many ways of getting involved in Aids work. Such involvement can take the form of active Aids care, or performing administrative or fundraising tasks.

Of course, not all have a vocation to volunteer in Aids projects. It is, however, incumbent on all of us (including those who, like President Thabo Mbeki, have not known anyone dying of Aids-related causes) to remain aware of Aids and its dreadful personal and social effects.

We must not allow ourselves to be overcome by Aids-fatigue. Aids will inexorably define the future of Southern Africa, Africa, and indeed the world. It is everybody�s business.