Good News! Monks Embrace Condoms!

Venerable Phrakru Wichian, head of the Buddhist Monks Network of Northern Thailand, was very shocked when he discovered that a fellow monk at his monastery was HIV positive. Instead of simply throwing out the infected monk, Wichian turned to the finer teachings of his religion and found a way to cope with the situation, including realizing that condoms were integral to HIV prevention.

"We could not chase the monk away from the monastery. After all, he had been infected before he became a monk," said Wichian. "We had to find a way to help him. Spiritual support is important for people living with HIV."