After the discussion about the statements of the Pope at his "flying press conference" on the subject of AIDS, the Vatican ied a statement on Wednesday, which the Catholic News Agency (KNA) documents in its own translation.
In reference to the echo that some of the Pope's words on the AIDS problem have provoked, the director of the Vatican Press Office, Father Federico Lombardi, specified that the Holy Father has underlined the positions of the Catholic Church and the essential lines of its struggle against the terrible scourge of AIDS: First, educating people to be responsible in their sexual behavior and emphasizing the central role of marriage and the family. Secondly, the research and administration of effective medical treatments against AIDS, to be made available to the greatest possible number of sick people through health initiatives and institutions. Thirdly, the human and spiritual support and accompaniment of AIDS patients and all those suffering, who have always been particularly close to the Church's heart. These are the lines on which the church is focusing its efforts. She does not believe that widespread distribution of condoms is actually the better, the more forward-looking and effective way to confront the scourge of AIDS and protect human life.