South African Catholics say President Zuma has set back AIDS fight

Catholics blast South African President Zuma

JOHANNESBURG — Catholic leaders accuse South Africa’s president of damaging the fight against AIDS by having sex outside his polygamous marriage.

In a statement released before President Jacob Zuma was to deliver his state of the nation address Thursday, the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference said that while Zuma has expressed regret over an affair that resulted in a daughter born in October, he has not shown remorse for adultery.

The bishops say Zuma sets a poor example in a country with the world’s highest number of HIV-positive people.

South African voters last year overwhelmingly supported Zuma, who had admitted having sex outside marriage. Zuma’s latest affair, first reported by a Johannesburg newspaper, has attracted steady criticism.