Letters

Combating AIDS

Franklin J. Wood

Contents - Aug 2007 - Buy a copy now Editorial: Census 2006: 'No religion' up, Christians down Lex orandi: Benedict XVI's liturgical armistice: 'Summorum Pontificum' - Fr Glen Tattersall Events: LATIN MASS CELEBRATIONS - Melbourne and Sydney University: Australian Catholic students' conference: 'an inspiring experience' - Br Barry Coldrey News: The Church Around the World World Congress of Families: grass roots ecumenism at work - Babette Francis Society: Defending faith and reason in public life - Eamonn Keane Catholics and the pornography epidemic - Bishop Robert Finn Why Catholic parents choose home-schooling - Leslie Sammut Obituary: Death of distinguished Australian philosopher John Ziegler - John Young Catholic students' joyful encounter with the Church's sacred music treasury - Gabrielle Walsh Letters: Vatican II infallible? - Frank Mobbs Letters: Stem cell 'debate' - Chris Hilder Letters: Breath of hope - Terry and Rosemary McDonnell Letters: Catholic politicians - Patricia Halligan Letters: Truth and courage - Errol P. Duke Letters: 'Staunch' Catholics? - Frank Bellet Letters: Study leave - Eamonn Keane Poetry: Shrapnel - Bruce Dawe Letters: Combating AIDS - Franklin J. Wood Letters: Education campaign - Henry Erftemeyer Letters: Fixing the schools - G. Brian Bibby DOES YOUR PARISH STOCK AD2000? Books: Jesus of Nazareth: Baptism to Transfiguration, by Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI - Tim Cannon (reviewer) Books: The World's First Love, by Fulton J. Sheen - Michael Daniel (reviewer) Books: Mother Angelica's Little Book of Life Lessons and Everyday Spirituality - Michael E. Daniel (reviewer) Books: AD2000 Books Reflection: The Assumption: how the Christian arts honour the Virgin Mary

I recently attended a meeting of fellow Catholics in Brisbane. The subject of the HIV/AIDS problem in Papua New Guinea was raised, with some information provided from James Cook University.

AIDS in Papua New Guinea is almost as bad as the problem in sub- Saharan Africa. The most successful developing country tackling AIDS is Uganda, thanks to widespread education in the virtue of abstinence.

AIDS has increased in PNG since 1997 by 30 percent per year. Despite PNG government propaganda, the most successful body tackling the problem has been the Catholic Church. Meanwhile, the Catholic bishops in PNG want to set up AIDS clinics in each of their dioceses, but do not have the funds.

25 percent of deaths are caused by AIDS, 14 percent by tuberculosis, and 5.7 percent by malaria. The problem of AIDS is worst along the Central Highway from Lae on the north-east coast. When people contract AIDS many of them go to Port Moresby for treatment or to hide. Ninety percent of HIV infections in the Pacific island territories are in PNG.

A fellow Catholic at the meeting noted that contraceptives have been of no use. This information proves the utter fallacy of the arguments put forward by the people who have dissented from Paul VI's Humanae Vitae over the last 40 years. It is disastrous that the people of PNG and other countries have to pay a terrible price for the culture of death.

FRANKLIN J. WOOD
North Rockhampton, Qld

Reprinted from AD2000 Vol 20 No 7 (August 2007), p. 15