African leader opposes Catholic hierarchy on condoms. (The Church and HIV/AIDS).

Church leaders in Zambia have rejected the advice of Zambia's first president, Dr. Kenneth Kaunda, who urged Zambians to use condoms to avoid infection with the HIV/AIDS virus. In an interview, Kaunda called for widespread use of condoms and said, "I have declared a war [on AIDS] and at 78-years-old, I am its strongest and fiercest enemy. I will look AIDS in the face and say, "I will fight you with every ounce of energy." I am like a mad man because I see the devastation. I want to stop this scourge before it annihilates mankind." He continued, "I would advise our church leaders to reconsider the stand on the use of condoms."

The response from the Catholic hierarchy has been described as "acerbic" with the "milder attacks" accusing Kaunda's campaign of being "misdirected." In response, Kaunda, a Catholic who lost his fifth son to AIDS, said, "The church is the one that is misdirected. They have misunderstood my message. What I am saying is, control your sexual temper and behave yourself. [But] since we can neither monitor or control people's urges, let them use a condom." He continued by calling for the church to be at the forefront of the anti-AIDS campaign. "If they do not want to talk about condoms and sex in their churches I will do it for them.... The clergy perhaps are not happy, but the congregation are very receptive."

Zambia has one of the highest HIV/ AIDS infection rates in the world, with rates as high as ten percent in urban areas. [Africa News, "Zambia: Corporate

Activists Promoting Condoms As Panacea to HIV/Aids," May 29, 2002.]