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Australian Catholic Bishops (and others) invited to respond to Pope's
AIDS cry - London - February 5, 2004
Special Easter 2004 Appeal
The Melbourne-based Catholic AIDS agency, The Australian AIDS Fund
Incorporated is challenging the Catholic Bishops of Australia to take
up a special Easter Sunday HIV/AIDS collection this year as a direct
response to the Pope's 2004 Lenten message which highlights the plight
of children with AIDS.
The President of The Australian AIDS Fund Inc., Brian Haill, has booked
a half-page in the March edition of the prestigious Catholic and nationally
circulated Eureka Street journal to publicly invite the Australian Bishops
to organise the collection in all of the nation's churches, reminding
them of the Pope's message: "Humanity cannot close its eyes
in the face of so appalling a tragedy."
Several years ago, Haill talked Melbourne's Cardinal (then archbishop)
George Pell into asking the Australian Bishops if they'd take up his
proposal for an annual gold coin HIV/AIDS collection in all churches
on the Sunday closest to World AIDS Day on December 1st. to help those
living with HIV/AIDS, but their response was that the national flock
was already sufficiently burdened.
"Their rejection was made the more painful by the decision shortly
afterwards of a local parish priest who introduced not one annual gold
coin collection but ten to finance the building of a church hall!",
Haill lamented.
Haill points to the unusual situation of HIV/AIDS in Australia where
male homosexuals account for the overwhelming majority of HIV infections.
"We're the odd man out in our geographic neighbourhood" he
said. "Australia is floating in a sea of HIV/AIDS, but you wouldn't
know it unless you went out of your way to read about it or went offshore.
Australian Catholics, Australians generally, could do so much more to
help alleviate the global plight of AIDS."
The Australian AIDS Fund has also pointed out in its paid advertisement
that the first stage of Papua New Guinea's first HIV/AIDS hospice (for
which his organisation has already provided the furniture) is desperately
in need of funds, around 25 thousand Australian dollars, to complete
it and that it could be just one of one of the beneficiaries of an Australia
national collection.
" Through this posting on ICN, I'm also bringing this appeal to
the attention of other Catholic Bishops outside Australia to see if
they too might take up such a collection in their own dioceses on Easter
Sunday for the same purpose of meeting those in direst need, struggling
to live with HIV/AIDS. Maybe gold coin or special collections for World
AIDS Day too, later in the year, might flow from this among those who
turn to Independent Catholic News,"he said
"I ask Catholics everywhere to support and promote the initiative.Please
do get involved"
Those who would like to support the PNG hospice can contact Brian
Haill who will provide them with direct banking details of the particular
Franciscan Order involved.
Brian Haill,
President,
The Australian AIDS Fund Inc.,
PO Box 1347, Frankston, Victoria, 3199, AUSTRALIA
Ph: 61 3 9 770 9210
Email: bhaill@bigpond.net.au
Website: http://www.aids.net.au
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