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Catholic Archdiocese of Suva counsellor Brother Fergus Garrett said they had been very much part of preparation of two documents, “Fiji Inter-Faith Strategy on HIV/AIDS” and “Pacific Guide to HIV for Christian Ministers, Pastors and Communities”, from the beginning to the final stage.
The documents were launched in Suva last Thursday by the President of Fiji, Ratu Epeli Nailatikau.
Both documents recommend openness and willingness to speak out on these sensitive issues.
Faith based organisations have welcomed the two documents as a guide for them to use in responding to HIV in their communities and congregations.
The chairman of Interfaith Search Fiji, Jalal Ud Dean, said there were common interests in their collective meetings on the church to take a leading role in combating HIV and AIDS.
“When this initiative was taken up, Interfaith was very much part of it from the beginning,” he said.
The use of condoms is widely accepted by churches in Fiji for preventing the spread of the diseases says Dean.
“Even though some faith groups discouraged the use of artificial contraceptives but in terms of the sickness it is a different story.”
Dean say “We found that 19 faith groups have commonality as they share the same platform in terms of not encouraging sexual activities out of wedlock.”
“Even though some faith groups discouraged the use of artificial contraceptives but in terms of the sickness it is a different story.”
He said this was a debatable topic in their monthly meetings as it was a very sensitive issue.
Interfaith Search is an organisation comprising 16 different religious groups that aims to find commonalities for the national good.
Source
- The Fiji Times
- The Fiji Times
- Image: Stop HIV
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News category: Asia Pacific.
