Lennox takes on Pope in Aids fight

Published on Tuesday 18 August 2009 22:03

ANNIE Lennox has offered to become Scotland's anti-Aids ambassador and has launched a fierce attack on Pope Benedict XVI after he warned that condoms may "increase" the spread of the disease.

The former Eurythmics singer was speaking about her campaign to fight against the spread of HIV/Aids in Africa, as she attended the Festival of Politics at the Scottish Parliament yesterday.

Her campaign, called Sing, supports projects in South Africa that attempt to treat people with Aids and to prevent further transmission of an illness that has already claimed the lives of millions.

Lennox said she had been motivated to fight against Aids in 2003 when, on a visit to South Africa, she heard Nelson Mandela describe the effects of the disease as a genocide.

Urging more focus on the illness, she said that while many churches did huge amounts to help victims, "they can also do tremendous harm".

She added: "When the Pope goes to Africa and tells them they shouldn't be using condoms when we know that HIV is a sexually transmitted disease, I don't think that makes any sense at all. That is very confusing."

The Pope was criticised by Aids campaigners earlier this year when, on his first visit to the African continent, he argued that HIV/Aids was "a tragedy that cannot be overcome by money alone, that cannot be overcome through the distribution of condoms, which can even increase the problem".

Turning her attention closer to home, Lennox said she would like to become Scotland's unofficial ambassador to raise awareness of the disease, on behalf of the Scottish Parliament.

She said: "I would like it if the Scottish Parliament could use me in some way to be the Scottish representative for women and for children with HIV."

Her call comes amid evidence that HIV/Aids is on the rise in Scotland. Recent figures showed that, in 2007, an additional 446 new cases were diagnosed, the highest annual figure ever recorded.

Today, Lennox will lay a stone on Princes Street to launch the "It's in our hands" campaign, set up by Nelson Mandela's HIV/Aids campaign 46664. The campaign takes its name from the prison number given to Mandela when he was imprisoned on Robben Island.

As for her call to become an Aids "ambassador", a Scottish Parliament spokeswoman said: "All commissioners and ombudsman posts to date have been founded through acts of parliament.

"It does not seem that this is quite what Annie has in mind but, as she develops more details, the Presiding Officer is more than happy to assist and facilitate as appropriate."