Posted on 05/31/2006 6:06:01 PM PDT by Coleus
KOENIGSTEIN, Germany, MAY 29, 2006 (Zenit.org).- The Church has helped Zambia to turn the corner in the fight against HIV and it has done so by upholding its traditional teachings, says a Ndola Diocese official. "Meanwhile, the government has done too little, too late," said Father Alick Mbanda, chancellor of the Zambian diocese, in an interview during a recent visit to the headquarters of the charity Aid to the Church in Need.
He explained how Catholic-run programs to combat HIV had been vital in bringing about a long-awaited downturn in the number of people infected with the virus. HIV is at epidemic levels in Zambia, where an estimated 1.2 million people are infected out of a population of 11 million.
Strategies
Father Mbanda described how the Church had tackled the crisis by distributing anti-HIV medicine and had successfully taught abstinence by integrating AIDS awareness into catechetical programs. With a community of lay leaders, the Church has devised youth catechetical programs in which the risk of HIV is spelled out, especially from casual sex.
Church leaders encourage people planning marriage to have HIV-related tests first.
For victims of the virus, the bishops are devising plans for a "farm" -- a center providing accommodation, welfare support and medication.
"Of late, we have at last begun to see a bit of progress," said Father Mbanda. "The numbers of people infected with HIV have not been going up and, because of the campaign, the numbers are finally coming down."
The priest stressed the importance of the Zambian bishops' opposition to contraception and insistence on abstinence.
"We have some NGOs saying that people should use condoms but the problem with that is that condoms give people some leeway for casual sex," he said. "In actual fact, it encourages the problem."
The priest also underlined the importance of faith in action: "We cannot just preach about the Gospel and talk about the Mass without living it. It becomes difficult to live the Gospel and to preach it if we don't connect with the problems of our times."
Much to the chagrin of the Left, I'm sure.
Abstinence is also the approach that greatly cut down the AIDS rate in Uganda. Abstinence works every time that it is tried.
If more than 10% of the population still has it, the corner hasn't been turned. Maybe the acceleration in the backstretch has ceased.
Boy are things guys in big trouble, they can't say that!! LOL
BS! Every stat we've read about HIV in Africa is PC junk science. They don't even test for HIV there. All those Ugandan (and South African) numbers are garbage.
They want your money.
Abstinence - 100% effective at preventing casual HIV transmission and pregnancy.
Who would'a thunk?
This is impossible - I just heard on The News Hour on PBS that abstinence-only programs in Uganda, forced on them by mean old conservatives, was interfering with their condom distribution, all the safe sex you want program that was so much more politically correct.
"We have some NGOs saying that people should use condoms but the problem with that is that condoms give people some leeway for casual sex," he said. "In actual fact, it encourages the problem."
When are they going to send missionaries to US Episcopalians and Lutherans?
IIRC, there are African Episcopalian missionaries in Europe and North America.
Also, the program in Zambia may well be based on the apparently successful one in Uganda, which emphasizes abstinence before marriage and faithful monogamy within marriage. Imagine that! Not fooling around controls the spread of venereal diseases...
A few year ago our Synod Assembly had a Tanzanian as the Bible Study presenter. I can still remember his discussion of the "A • B • C's":
• A Abstain if you are not married,
• B Be faithful if you are married,
• C Use a Condom if you cannot be faithful or abstain,
• D because otherwise you will Die.
BTTT^!
You mean abstinence can prevent sexual diseases and unwanted pregancies?
Gasp!
So now we know where to find the edge of the big tent of "inclusiveness".
Ummm hmmm! I'll just bet that it is.
I think they would treat them like the Israelites of old treated the prophets who did not "tickle their ears" with what they wanted to hear.
Hey, lightman, I am a voting member for the ELCA Churchwide assembly in 2007! Oh boy!
You have my condolences. And my prayers.
When I learned that one of the foci of that Assembly will be "celebrating" (read, hyping for marketing)of the new hymnal any interest I had in getting elected completely disappeared.
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