Vatican plans pastoral guidelines for church personnel in AIDS care

(Nov. 23, 2011) The Vatican is committed to publishing a set of pastoral guidelines for church personnel engaged in AIDS care and prevention, but it probably won't happen for at least a year, a Vatican official said. The guidelines are expected to treat the issue of condoms in AIDS prevention, but as part of a much wider approach to the question of the treatment and spread of the disease. Msgr. Jean-Marie Mupendawatu, undersecretary of Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Health Pastoral Care told reporters on Tuesday, that the first step toward the guidelines was the imminent publication of the acts of a conference on AIDS, sponsored by the Vatican last May. The conference looked at prevention strategies, rejecting condom campaigns in favour of behavioral change, and also examined issues of medical research and treatment. Msgr. Mupendawatu said the Vatican was "committed to working in a rapid fashion" on the guidelines for pastoral workers, using much of the material from the conference. "We promise this, and I think it will be useful for the whole church," he added. But he said the guidelines would not be drawn up until another project is completed -- the updating of the Vatican's "Charter for Health Care Workers," which dates back to 1994. The revisions of that text are nearly complete, but officials said it would probably not be ready for publication until late 2012.