Not only is it “unfortunate” that persons with HIV/AIDS should suffer stigma and discrimination, say the bishops of the Antilles Episcopal Conference (AEC), but it is also “unacceptable”.

In calling on the people of the region to challenge the widely held negative attitudes towards persons with HIV/AIDS, the bishops said: “We declare without reservation that HIV/AIDS is not a curse from God. It is not a divine judgment on individuals for their sins.”

These positions are contained in a statement on HIV/AIDS issued by the bishops at the conclusion of their 49 th annual plenary meeting in Suriname on April 14.

Noting that the Caribbean had the second highest incidence per capita of HIV/AIDS after Sub-Saharan Africa and that there remained as yet no cure, the bishops reiterated that the most effective means of protection from this disease was sexual abstinence before marriage and fidelity to one spouse after marriage.

“This is factually attested to in countries such as Uganda where abstinence is an integral part of the governmental strategy to confront the disease,” they said.

The bishops of the AEC said they were happy to note the tremendous response of the Roman Catholic Church in the region to the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

“We as bishops are committed to seeking new ways to enter into partnership with other Christian churches, other religions, Governments, health care providers, and the private sector in providing even more service to persons living with HIV/AIDS and their families.

“In particular, we need to educate ourselves, and the people of our region to the nature of the disease with a view of reducing the discrimination and the stigma associated with it.”

The statement added that it was not possible to contract the disease by merely talking to, touching or even hugging a person with HIV/AIDS, and that those with HIV/AIDS deserved the understanding, respect, assistance and care of the Church.

The bishops said: “We reaffirm the dignity of every man, woman and child afflicted with HIV/AIDS and reach out to him, conscious that God ‘comforts us in our afflictions and thus enables us to comfort those who are in trouble' (2 Corinthians 1:33ff).”

They added that all who dared to follow Christ must remember that much of Christ's public life was taken up with healing the sick, including those whose diseases placed them “beyond the margins of society”.

“We need to mirror and reflect the unconditional love of Christ for every person irrespective of his or her lifestyle and its consequences. Christ taught us that whatever we do to the least among us, that we do unto Him (cf. Matthew 25:40).

We encourage family members and our faith communities to welcome and care for those afflicted with HIV/AIDS,” the bishops said.

Recalling that the late Pope John Paul II had a very special love for the youth of the world, the bishops declared their support for the youth abstinence clubs being formed in the region and said to them and to all: “Be not afraid!”

They added: “The future is in the hands of the youth who, with the help of Christ, are indeed capable of embracing the principles of the Gospel and of proclaiming the hope which is in us (cf. 1 Peter 3:15 ).”

The bishops of the AEC ended by encouraging “the pursuit of every effort in the pastoral and medical field to bring healing compassion to our sisters and brothers in need. We proclaim that ‘the charity of Christ impels us all' (2 Corinthians 5:14 ) to bring an end to the stigma attached to all those who suffer from this disease”.

 -- Edited from The Dominica Catholic (April 2005)