Alliance clarifies position on circumcision

THE PNG Christian Leaders Alliance says circumcision is a “Jewish culture in the past” and should not be encouraged by health authorities to combat the spread of HIV-AIDS.
It was responding to an article in The National yesterday in which health authorities encouraged sexually-active men to be circumcised as a way to combat the spread of HIV-AIDS.
Alliance chairman Sir John Cardinal Ribat said in a statement yesterday circumcision was a Jewish culture written in the Holy Bible “and it will not be effective nowadays”.
“(Such) beliefs and practice will only promote the HIV/AIDS virus,” he said. The statement said the Alliance’s message “is clear and pure. We will be combating the HIV-AIDS using the world of God in the Holy Bible”.
“Our project is called the gospel with substance through church/government partnership.
“We are not promoting condom or circumcision.”
The statement also said a picture of Alliance officials taken during a press conference on Tuesday and used in yesterday’s article, plus the merging of comments made during the conference in the article, “gives us a bad image”.