AMERICA - Catholic Church and the fight against AIDS. Report to UN

New York (Agenzia Fides) - During a meeting of the United Nations Organisation held recently in New York on results and goals in the fight against HIV/AIDS there emerged the serious concern of His Holinesss Benedict XVI for the spread of the pandemic
Through the intervention of Cardinal Lozano Barragán, President of the Pontifical Council for Health Workers, the Pope assured the international community that the Church with her structures will continue to support the struggle to counter the pandemic.
“ In fact 26.7% of the Centres which guarantee care for HIV positive people are Catholic structures. Our work - the Cardinal said - focuses on providing treatment, also preventive, assistance and therapy. Besides distributing anti-retroviral therapy and drugs to prevent mother/child infection, with the help of experts in the field of healthcare, we strive to inform and form priests, religious, patients, young people and families”. The Cardinal also recalled that Caritas Internazionalis is involved in important programmes in 102 countries. There is activity against the pandemic in 62 countries: 28 in Africa, 9 in Latin America, 6 in Asia, 16 in Europe and 3 in Oceania.
The Cardinal told the meeting that thanks to the Good Samaritan Foundation started by Pope John Paul II for the care and treatment of most needy patients, the Holy See has arranged the pruchase of anti-retroviral drugs in 18 countries, mainly in Africa.
(AP) (6/6/2006 Agenzia Fides; Righe: 23; Parole: 260)