Seminar for church medical personnel visiting HIV/AIDS infected people held in Moscow

A seminar for church medical personnel visiting HIV/AIDS infected people is being held in Moscow from 6 to 8 December in the framework of the church program for HIV/AIDS prevention and control. The seminar, housed by the Moscow Patriarchate Department for external church relations, is attended by over 30 representatives of the church visiting service from Moscow, Krasnogorsk, Arkhangelsk, Bryansk, Ivanovo, Rostov-on-Don and some Ukrainian and Byelorussian cities.

DECR deputy chairman Bishop Mark of Yegorievsk greeted the participants and pointed out at the importance of the Russian Orthodox Church ministry of spiritual comfort and physical care of HIV/AIDS infected people, which is an integral part of the church’s care for the suffering and at the same time a zealous witness of the God-commanded love of the neighbour.

The participants will learn how to care for the sick and organize nursery posts for attending the sick in hospitals and at home. They will receive information on HIV/AIDS and ways of infecting, preventive measures, therapy, and peculiarities of work with HIV-infected patients. Special attention will be paid to spiritual support of the infected people. Lecturers from Moscow sisterhood of St. Dimitrius hold the seminar. It is organized by the Round Table at the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate.

It is the 6^th seminar for visiting HIV/AIDS infected people in the frameworks of church anti-AIDS program. The same training seminars were held in Arkhangelsk, Kiev, Alupka, Minsk and Volgograd on invitation of diocesan departments for social ministry.