Pope: Only Morality, Fidelity Can Stop AIDS

Returning to a topic on which his previous remarks generated much controversy, Pope Benedict XVI on Friday said marital fidelity and a moral approach to sexuality are the best ways to fight AIDS. "Only a strategy based on education to individual responsibility in the framework of a moral view of human sexuality, especially through conjugal fidelity, can have a real impact on the prevention of this disease," the pope said in welcoming new ambassadors to the Vatican from Namibia and South Africa. The Catholic Church will continue addressing AIDS "by emphasizing fidelity within marriage and abstinence outside of it," Benedict said. On his plane en route to Africa in March, the pontiff said the distribution of condoms would not solve Africa's AIDS crisis and might even make it worse -- assertions that drew harsh criticism from scientists, international groups, and several European governments.

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