A.I.D.S. care mooted as basis for church order

Press, 20 October 1987, Page 18

A.I.D.S. care mooted as basis for church order

PA Wellington A new religious order could grow out of the A.I.D.S. problem, according to the Catholic communications director, the Rev. Jim Lyons. Father Lyons said the Church was looking for new ways of helping people because the work of religious orders had been increasingly taken over by State institutions. Caring for A.I.D.S. victims could be an area for Church involvement because it was a new need in society. Father Lyons said there would also be a “spiritual dimension” to the work. “The disease touches

not only the victims’ behaviour patterns but also their understanding of life,” he said. The idea was inspired by the successful work of a religious order in San Francisco, a city which has a serious A.I.D.S. problem. The Sisters of Compassion who run the Home of Compassion for the dying have welcomed the idea. Sister Helen Farrelly said, "It has been discussed and we would be willing to show our compassion to these people and offer our facilities to them.” She said it was too early to assess how serious the problem would be.

But if there was a need the sisters ' would be obliged to care for them. “Let us face it, they are the people with the'greatest need.” The,- director of the A.I.D.S. Foundation, Mr Warren Lindberg, said the foundation had not discussed the idea or been approached by the Church. But he said caring for people with A.I.D.S. was similar to other life threatening conditions. He could see a role for the Church where patients chose to be cared for by the Church because of their own religious affiliations. " ' .