World AIDS Day draws support from churches large and small

Published: 2003-12-01

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- From Washington to Dakar, Senegal, Catholic bishops joined in marking World AIDS Day Dec. 1 with promises of support for those with HIV/AIDS and encouragement to change behaviors that lead to the spread of the disease. In Rome, Pope John Paul II and the head of the Vatican office for health care encouraged Catholics to join them in praying for people with HIV/AIDS and to care for those with the disease. And across Asia, Catholic organizations worked on AIDS prevention in China, India, Myanmar and Nepal. In Dakar, the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar, which represents the bishops in Africa, issued its first collective statement on the topic of HIV/AIDS. It proposes a plan of action that involves work with parishes, other faiths, medical institutions and religious formation programs. It focuses on changing behavior and accepting responsibility for tackling the complexities of the problems brought on by HIV and AIDS.

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