Anglican Mainstream

By Rebecca Millette, LifeSite News

In a strongly worded address to the United Nations this week, a representative of the Vatican emphasized and explained the official position of the Catholic Church in response to the adoption of the Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS.

“The Holy See rejects references to terms such as ‘populations at risk’ and ‘populations at higher risk’ because they treat persons as objects and can give the false impression that certain types of irresponsible behavior are somehow morally acceptable,” Archbishop Frances Chullikatt, Permanent Observer of the Holy See, told the international body.

“The Holy See does not endorse the use of condoms/commodities as part of HIV and AIDS prevention programmes or classes/programmes of education in sex/sexuality,” he continued. “Prevention programmes or classes/programmes of education in human sexuality should focus not on trying to convince the world that risky and dangerous behaviour forms part of an acceptable lifestyle, but rather should focus on risk avoidance, which is ethically and empirically sound.”

Abstinence before marriage and fidelity within marriage, said the archbishop, is “the only safe and completely reliable method” of preventing HIV. Abstinence and fidelity, then, must be the “foundation of any discussion of prevention and support.”

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