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Catholic
Committee on AIDS
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Catholic
Organisations and Commitment to Fight AIDS
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Being
involved in AIDS ministry, Catholic Commission for Health Pastoral
Care saw the need to call all Catholic organisations involved in
AIDS work to share and learn experience from one another as well
as studying scientific development regarding AIDS and its treatment,
economic, social and political reality of people living with HIV/AIDS
and their families. Therefore, it has organised a national seminar
in 1999 to review situation on AIDS and share experience among the
Catholic organisations involved in the work on AIDS.The following
final statement was adopted to present to the Bishops' Conference.
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"AIDS:
A Challenge for the Church towards the Third Millennium"
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Grievances
of Society and the Call of God
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All
Christians believe in the teaching on unconditional love of neighbours
as fully lived by Jesus exemplified in the Gospel.Therefore,grievances
of human beings in our age,especially the poor,the sick and the
oppressed by whatever means,are also the anxieties and grievances
of all followers of Christ
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Christians
honour and realise the call of the Pope who is the living representative
of Christ as head of his Church. His Holiness John Paul II has been
calling on all Catholics in all countries to play a role in the
prevention and solution of AIDS and its effects since 1987
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At present,
Thailand is facing the most serious problem of AIDS infection. There
are 900,000 Thai people having HIV. Each year, there are 60,000
new AIDS patients. There are 200,000 orphans who have lost their
parents. At every moment, there are 90,000 people involved in prostitution.
There are at least 100,000 people addicted to various drugs. Although
these figures can show the quantitative aspect of the problem, however,
the actual grievances are much greater
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A national
programme on AIDS prevention has been introduced in Thailand to
address AIDS problem by mobilising all public and private agencies
as well as religious institutions to tackle AIDS infection. Each
year, the government sanctions a budget of almost 2,000 million
Baht for this programme
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The
Catholic Church in Thailand has also been taking part in the solution
of AIDS problem in Thailand since 1989.At present,there are at least
28 Catholic organisations voluntarily work on AIDS,since many Thai
people are affected by AIDS either directly or indirectly.In addition,
the work on AIDS is a solution of family and youth problems as well
as witnessing the Christian teaching on love our neighbours as our
Heavenly Father loves us
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Given
this reality and the call within all of us, the participants of
this seminar has come up with recommendations for the Catholic Bishops'
Conference of Thailand to mobilise the rich potentials and hospitality
from religious men and women congregations, all Catholic organisations
and associations, schools, hospitals and Catholic communities all
across Thailand for the solution of AIDS problem in the first decade
of the new millennium, with the following concrete action.
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VCD
Information
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| Baan Sukruthai | |
| Spirit Consolator | |
| Suthasinee Foundation | |
| Baan Naboon | |
| Lorenzo Home | |
| Baan Mittrathorn | |
| Fatima Self-Help Centre | |
| AIDS network : Thai | |
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Health
Association Media
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© CHC
Address : 122/11Nonsi
14 Rd, Yannawa, Bangkok 10120, Thailand Tel. / Fax. 66 2 681 5857
e-mail : chc@cbct.net
Update March 2011