Condoms increase promiscuity, warns South African cardinal

Cardinal Wilfred Napier of Durban and president of the South African Bishops' Conference has warned that encouragement of the use of condoms increase promiscuity and results in a rise in AIDS.

While addressing the Assembly of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI), the Latin rite bishops meeting in the southern state of Kerala, January 4–9, the cardinal warned that "the root cause of the wildfire spread of AIDS is irresponsible moral behavior."

"By distributing condoms, this [behavior] is not challenged but only encouraged," Cardinal Napier said, adding, "By objecting to condoms, we are promoting sexual discipline."

"Show us a country in Sub–Saharan Africa that has reduced, let alone reversed, the rate of new infections" with condoms, he challenged those who support use of condoms to halt the march of AIDS.

According to the cardinal, the condom–centric approach South Africa has followed for years has only pushed the country into the abyss in which it finds itself now. More than 12 percent of the country's 48 million people are HIV positive, and half of all deaths are from AIDS, he noted.

To prove his point, Cardinal Napier said that Uganda is one of the greatest success stories in the fight against AIDS, with its abstinence program bringing down the HIV infection rate from more than 30 percent to below 6 percent.

"My country would not have come to a tragic situation like this if those in power had listened to the Church," he said.

Cautioning Indian bishops not to pursue the South African model, Cardinal Napier said, "Our message to the Indian Church is: Please do not follow us."

Interestingly, the cardinal's views are in stark contrast to the policy adopted by the Indian government in its fight against AIDS.

Mayank Aggarwal, the joint director of the government–appointed National AIDS Control Organization (NACO), while commending the "commitment shown by the Church in its fight against AIDS," refused to comment on the Church's stand on comdoms.

"The Church has taken up HIV/AIDS as a very serious issue and we are very happy about the commitment of the Church in this. Religious leaders hold mass support in this country and we are working very closely with the Church in spreading awareness on AIDS," he said, adding, "I would not like to comment on condoms and the Church. The Church has its own stand on condoms."

Pointing out that NACO follows the formula of ABC (Abstinence before marriage, Be faithful to spouse and use of Condoms), he explained that the government has the responsibility to support condom usage to those who violate A and B as "it is duty bound to protect all its citizens even if they behave in a deviant manner."

Condoms also remained as the "only protection available" for those indulging in sex outside marriage, he said.

"But, I would say, we acknowledge the great commitment and response of the Church in the fight against AIDS," he added.

However, Cardinal Napier's suggestions have been welcomed by other Catholic leaders.

"We fully agree with the concern raised by Cardinal Napier," Bangalore Archbishop Bernard Moras, chairman of the Healthcare Commission of the Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI, the governing Catholic body in India), said.

By making condoms freely available on street corners, in railway stations and at bus stops, Archbishop Moras lamented that "the government is throwing morality to the winds. This will only repeat the tragedy that has unfolded in South Africa."

While it is mandatory for cigarette manufacturers to print on cigarette packages the warning that smoking is hazardous to people's health, the government is publicly encouraging immoral sexual behavior by propagating and distributing condoms, he said.

Fr. Sebastian Ouseparambil, director of the Catholic Hospitals Association of India (CHAI), also noted that it has not been easy for the Church in providing care and support to HIV victims as it is being targeted by the government and other donor agencies in several Indian states.

"Many of them just bluntly reject our projects [for support] because we do not distribute condoms," Fr. Ouseparambil said.

"But, the reality is that even NGOs have realized the value of our work and send their staff to attend AIDS awareness programs we are holding," he added.

CHAI comprises 3,400 Church–run hospitals and health care centers.

According to UNAIDS, India alone has 5.7 million cases, the highest number of infections in the world. But health officials have claimed that an estimated 86 percent of them are not even aware that they are infected.

Studies have shown that there is especially high incidence of AIDS in states like Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Manipur and Nagaland.

HIV/AIDS victims and voluntary groups have been campaigning for a law to prevent discrimination of patients and have accused the government of dragging its feet on the legislation.