A Zimbabwean Catholic has been elected general secretary of the Young Women's Christian Association, a movement whose stand on 'safe sex' conflicts with Catholic teaching.

Nyaradzai Gumbonzvanda replaces Musimbi Kanyoro, who has held the post for the past eight years. She was elected during the 26th World YWCA Council, held in Nairobi from July 1-11 under the theme of women and HIV/AIDS.

In a paper titled 'Male and Female Condoms: The Time to Deliver is now', Kanyoro said "hundreds of thousands of lives can be saved by redoubling our investment in male and female condoms and by fully financing programs that provide women and men with the knowledge, tools and social support they need to practice safer sex."

The Catholic Church opposes the use of condoms and teaches abstinence in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Gumbonzvanda, the new YWCA general secretary, previously worked with the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).