VATICAN CITY, DEC. 3, 2000 (ZENIT.org).- Participants at an AIDS meeting
heard firsthand from a hospital that it is possible to prevent the
transmission of the HIV virus from mothers to children.

As part of the meeting, organized by the Pontifical Council for Pastoral
Assistance to Health Care Workers, the participants on Friday visited the
installations of the Child Jesus Hospital, where there are children
suffering from the HIV virus.

Professor Guido Castelli Gattinara, a hospital department head, explained
that the cases of mother-to-child transmission are less than 2%. However,
he emphasized that this "only happens in our countries." The situation
continues to be grave in developing countries, especially in sub-Saharan
Africa, he said.

"Even today, 1,700 children are born every day with the HIV virus," said
Castelli Gattinara. "There are possibilities and we have the knowledge to
prevent the transmission of AIDS from mother to child; this is proven by a
number of programs that we are implementing, precisely, in our hospital."
His hospital is promoting these plans in Romania and the Democratic
Republic of the Congo.

During the international AIDS meeting Archbishop Javier Lozano Barragán,
head of the pastoral assistance council, presented a dossier which
addresses the question of AIDS and its prevention.

The document includes a summary of last December's congress in the Vatican,
and highlights the problems connected to the HIV virus, including
prevention, education and plans of action. The text offers five articles on
the role of Catholic chaplains in charge of health pastoral care, which are
the conclusions of a study carried out by Fiorenza Deriu Bagnato.

Sociologist Bagnato told Vatican Radio that local churches have asked the
international community for funds to ease access to pharmaceutical products
in countries where people cannot afford these treatments. This is the case,
for instance, in sub-Saharan Africa and some Asian countries.

The Pontifical Council for Health Pastoral Care plans to publish soon a
document offering specific pastoral guidelines for bishops, religious and
volunteers who work with HIV sufferers.

When presenting the work of an AIDS meeting held Thursday, Archbishop
Lozano referred to the famous debate on the methods of prevention,
explaining that the Christian concept of love and sexuality is the best way.

"Undoubtedly, what is most important is prevention of the sickness," he
said. "The best remedy, to prevent infection through sexual relations, is
chastity within and outside of marriage."

The AIDS summit ended Saturday. The Pontifical Council for Health Pastoral
Care's e-mail address is: opersanit@hlthwork.va
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