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Pope says AIDS "pathology of the spirit"

    JOHANNESBURG

    People living with HIV and AIDS in Africa need moral, spiritual and medical help, Pope John Paul II has said.

    In his annual message for the World Day of the Sick, published on Thursday by the Vatican, the Pope said in its efforts to curb the spread of HIV, the church was right to underline education against "irresponsible sexual behaviour" as a means of prevention.

    He said the disease represented not only a health problem but also a "pathology of the spirit" that attacked the whole person.

    "To combat it in a responsible way, its prevention must be fostered through education in the respect for the sacred value of life, and through the proper practice of sexuality," the pontiff said.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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