Feb 8, 2007 / 10:52 am
Preaching chastity and fidelity are “the only way” to tackle an AIDS pandemic sweeping Zambia, according to a nun who has set up a hospice for people infected by HIV. Sister Maria Crucis Beards recently spelled out the ineffectiveness of condoms and how the devices actually encourage promiscuity.
In an interview with Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), she said most Zambians wrongly believed that condoms provided a guarantee against the spread of HIV.
“I believe telling people about the importance of chastity and fidelity is the only way to tackle the crisis. Condoms have been freely available for 10 years or more and yet there’s been no obvious change in HIV levels. Clearly, condoms don’t work,” she said.
Sr. Crucis stressed the need for action against HIV, saying that up to 200,000 Zambians are in urgent need of HIV treatment with anti-retroviral therapy and about half of all general hospital admissions involve people infected with the illness.