Priests resist condom use in HIV-hit Tanzania
A new school science syllabus in Tanzania that incorporates the teaching of how condoms should be used has been described by Roman Catholic bishops as “unacceptable”, in spite of the spread of HIV-AIDS, writes Frank Jomo for Ecumenical News International. “Introduction of the [teaching of] use of condoms in schools, apart from being sinful, is indeed justification and opening the door for immoral lifestyles,” Cardinal Polycarp Pengo, the archbishop of Dar es Salaam, said in a statement issued by Tanzania's Episcopal Conference this month.
It continued: “Teaching children, some as young as 12 years old, the use of condoms is disastrous.” Development workers vigorously disagree. The disputed part of the syllabus lists several ways of preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS, including the proper use of condoms. The Ministry of Education released the new primary school science programme in November 2005.
Like some other religious bodies in Africa, Tanzania's Catholic bishops have remained steadfast in their opposition to condoms as a means of contraception and HIV/AIDS prevention, despite two million Tanzanians being HIV positive. The bishops said their opposition did not imply the church was “blind to the magnitude of the loss of life and suffering to millions of people infected by the disease”. Rather, they said it was obliged to defend the human dignity, the Catholic Information Service for Africa has reported.
However an official from the Tanzania Aids Commission, Halima Shariff, accused priests of being unrealistic in their approach to curbing the HIV/AIDS scourge in urging people to abstain from sex. “The clerics say the only way to check further spread of HIV/AIDS is to abstain from sex or to have a single partner. Well, that is indeed good; but what do you do with those who cannot manage to abstain, or stick to a single partner?” asked Shariff.
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13 comments:
The unrealistic "hopes" of the Priests is unbelievable! HELP!!!
Nothing ever changes where the mind is closed, or where there is a refusal to look at reality, I guess.
Very Very Interesting Post!
Indeed. People are dying and they talk about 'immoral lifestyles'. That's hardly a realistic, practical or humanitarian attitude.
The schools are educating the kids about how & why a condom could be used. They are not saying the children should use them to have "immoral sex". That is a matter for the individuals & their families/partners to discuss & decide about.
There you go with the religions against education thing again.
Mrs A said: There you go with the religions against education thing again.
To say nothing of putting a belief ahead of peoples health & wellbeing..
The Catholic church in particular has a very unhealthy attitude towards sex.
Hi Cyberkitten
Thanks for commenting in my blog. I agree with you. It is a paradox that the same ones who claim veneration for life are indeed the angels or death. Or...maybe they want all people who have sex dead.
I wrote a post about the attitude of Christians towards sex. I am sure you have something to say
I love your blog. I am adding a link to it in my own blog
Visit me at Multae Sententiae
The religious tend to have more kids. I think this is evolutionary. Like those turtles on beaches that I see on National Geographics, only so many make it to adulthood, it is a numbers game. The more I read about the stupidity of the believers, the more I look at them as too dumb to survive generations, unless they have the numbers.
Wouldn't it be wonderful to see a beautiful atheists family of mom, dad and 5 kids, all of which ask the mom and dad about the planets and about evolution...just a dream
Aha, I'm doing my bit for evolution then:-)
doctor marco said: I love your blog. I am adding a link to it in my own blog
Thanks for your comments. I'll return the favour & Blogroll you later.
BEAJ said: The more I read about the stupidity of the believers, the more I look at them as too dumb to survive generations, unless they have the numbers.
'Go forth & multiply'... oh BOY did they multiply.... Sometimes I do think that they'd rather have 10 half starved christians than 5 well fed ones. I never really understood that... and it's not like we need the people in the world when we have quite enough as it is.
This kind of stuff really pisses me off. They say they're "obliged to defend the human dignity" while sitting back and watching people die?
I think Christians have the right intentions with educating people about having multiple sex partners and waiting for marriage but I don't think it's not a complete solution. Condoms/birth control completes the solution and I think a lot of Christians understand that.
Absolutely Sadie. The problem with this situation is the intent of the missionaries to impose their cultural standards on a culture and people very different from their own and that they don't fully understand. Let people use condoms to fight the disease and keep it from spreading. Fight the superstitions that having sex with a virgin will cure HIV. There's all sorts of things that need to be done before condoms can be removed from the picture.
Abstinence and monogamy are worthwhile goals for some, but not all. When you see people dropping like flies from the spread of disease, you should do everything possible to fight the disease and fight it from spreading. Give the people the tools to fight it (education and condomns) and then when they survive, preach to them about saving their souls.
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