Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Tokyo (Fides Service) - Counselling moral support, concrete assistance for people with HIV/AIDS is the mission of a Japanese Catholic nun Sister Shigehisa Machi, who works as a volunteer at the HIV and Human Rights Information Center in Tokyo.
Sister Shigehisa Machi offers counselling to young people who find they are HIV positive through ignorance or carelessness and she tries to follow the young people she meets with on-going assistance and concrete help. “Very often - Sister Shigehisa Machi told Fides- we have to try to convince people that even if they are HIV positive they can lead a normal life. We try to restore hope in the hearts of the boys and girls who come to the centre often in a state of desperation. I think that our service is very important. We must uproot prejudice towards HIV/AIDS sufferers who are our brothers and sisters in need of help and as such they must be cared for.”
In April 2003 the Church in Japan set up a special commission and office to coordinate activity in parishes, hospitals and Catholic associations to fight AIDS and help HIV/AIDS patients. This work involves religious communities caring for the terminally ill, awareness building groups in schools and universities, information and counselling centres.
The Japanese Bishops Conference increased its efforts to address the problem of AIDS by opening a special office and work-group to promote and coordinate all the different activities of the Catholic community in Japan.
According to official sources Japan is the only industrialised country where the number of HIV carriers continues to grow. In 2001 there were 621 new HIV positive cases and 614 in 2002, and 87% of the new cases were due to sexual transmission.
(PA) (Agenzia Fides 23/3/2004 lines 30 words 321)
