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Pastimes : Ask God -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Berry Picker who wrote (29558)	1/31/2000 7:08:00 AM
From: long-gone	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 39621

Catholic priests are dying of AIDS, often in silence By JUDY L. THOMAS - The Kansas City Star Date: 01/29/00 22:15 Hundreds of Roman Catholic priests across the United States have died of AIDS-related illnesses, and hundreds more are living with HIV, the virus that causes the disease. The actual number of AIDS deaths is difficult to determine. But it appears priests are dying of AIDS at a rate at least four times that of the general U.S. population, according to estimates from medical experts and priests and an analysis of health statistics by The Kansas City Star. In Missouri and Kansas alone, at least 16 priests and two religious-order brothers have died of AIDS since early 1987. The deaths are of such concern to the church that most dioceses and religious orders now require applicants for the priesthood to take an HIV-antibody test before their ordination. For the nation's 60 million Catholics, served by 46,000 priests, the AIDS issue goes straight to the heart of church doctrine -- a doctrine that teaches compassion and forgiveness but also considers homosexual relations a sin and opposes the modern practice of "safe sex." In a nationwide confidential survey of 3,000 priests by The Star, two-thirds of the more than 800 responding lauded the church for being caring and compassionate to priests with AIDS. Often, the church covers medical costs, gives them a place to live and cares for them until they die. Most priests, however, said the church failed to offer an early and effective sexual education that might have prevented infection in the first place. Two-thirds said sexuality either was not addressed at all or was not discussed adequately in the seminary. Three of four said the church needed to offer more education about sexual issues. "Sexuality still needs to be talked about and dealt with," said the Rev. Dennis Rausch, a priest with AIDS who runs an AIDS ministry program for Catholic Charities in the Archdiocese of Miami. "I've been trying to get into the seminary here for the last several years to do an awareness course for the guys, so when they come out, they at least have some knowledge." Many priests and behavioral experts argue that the church's adherence to 12th-century doctrine about the virtues of celibacy and its(cont) kcstar.com