AIDS awareness training for Catholic priests

[Guest guest]

AIDS awareness training for Catholic priests

Aditi Tandon, Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 1

The Catholic Church has assumed a significant role in spreading

HIV/AIDS awareness in the region. Under the new initiative adopted by the

Diocese of Delhi, Jammu, Jalandhar and Chandigarh, not only will AIDS awareness

be integral part of the church's policies, it will also be an area of top

priority.

Already engaged in reaching out to the community on this matter of

national interest, the church has now decided to rope in priests for

spreading awareness regarding AIDS. Taking a lead in the area is the

Chandigarh-Shimla Diocese which will hold a special orientation

programme on HIV/AIDS awareness for priests working in the community.

" The idea is to use the experience of priests who can influence

thousands of people at a time. Since they are already handling

several social projects for the church, they can act as valuable

resources in handling the HIV/AIDS issue. While inspecting their

respective areas, they can serve to demystify the epidemic and lend a human face

to it by touching upon the complexities and sensitivities involved, " said Father

Sahaya Thatheus, who has been appointed by the Chandigarh-Shimla Diocese as

coordinator of the three-member committee set up to look after gender

discrimination and AIDS awareness issues. The committee was set up by Bishop Dr

Gerald Mathias.

To begin with, the Diocese will organise a workshop for 45 priests

working at 80 churches under its fold. The workshop will be aimed at

adding skills to the existing knowledge of priests who are covering

vulnerable areas in Bathinda, Patiala, Chandigarh, Shimla and Karnal.

The new initiative is an extension of the earlier awareness plan

which the church had adopted in September, 2005, when a regional meet of the

four Diocese of Delhi, Chandigarh, Jalandhar and Jammu was held here in

Chandigarh. The meet, which saw the church reiterate its commitment to fighting

gender discrimination and HIV/AIDS, ended with the adoption of an action plan

which is serving as a touchstone for all future endeavours.

The action plan comprises the following focus areas — dealing with

HIV/AIDS on a priority basis, eliminating gender discrimination and

celebrating in the Diocese the following days — World AIDS Day, Girl

Child Day, Mother's Day and Women's Day.

Father Sahaya added: " All these days are related to the concerns

which we have now formalised in the form of policies. Though we have

been talking about AIDS awareness since September last year, from

this year onwards we plan to renew our focus.

As for priests, they had earlier also been instructed by the Bishop

to keep the Christian community in particular informed about the

hazards of HIV/AIDS. The tools we normally use for spreading AIDS

awareness include street plays which we write and direct ourselves

and puppetry shows. We have also been organising rallies on this

issue. "

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20060902/cth1.htm#8

________________

Dr. Avnish Jolly

e-mail: <avnishjolly@...>