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HIV/AIDS and the role of religious leaders
Bishop Purity Malinga Opening address at the South African National Interfaith AIDS Conference: 22-23 May 2002
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Our region i.e. the Sub-Saharan Africa is the site of the fastest growing HIV epidemics in the world. Our people are dying in numbers everyday. As put in the U.N. declaration of Commitment:
?“HIV/AIDS is a state of emergency which threatens development, social cohesion, political stability, food, security and life expectancy and imposes a devastating economic burden. This dramatic situation on the African continent needs urgent and exceptional national, regional and international action.?” (UN General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS 25-27 June 2001)
This state of emergency challenges all sectors of our society especially the religious sectors to play an active role. Religious communities have always been places of anchor and refuge in times of trouble. It should not be different with HIV/AIDS.
It is common knowledge that in HIV/AIDS it is not the condition itself that hurts most, but the stigma and the rejection/discrimination that the infected have to deal with. This is the reason why many people will hide their status or refuse to accept it.
This pandemic has exposed fault lines that reach to the heart of our theologies and our practice of ministry. We need to acknowledge that however unwittingly we as religious communities or let me say as churches, we have contributed actively and passively to the spread of the virus. Our failure to address issues of sex and sexuality, our theology of sin, our interpretation of scripture and our tendency to exclude others ?– all these combined promote the stigmatization, exclusion and suffering of people with HIV/AIDS.
I believe that the religious leaders must play an active role in de-stigmatizing HIV/AIDS. We lead influential and powerful institutions that can truly turn around the devastation that this disease is doing in our communities. I don?’t know with other faiths but with all the churches ?– ministers (church leaders) have such authority and influence that if they were to get their acts together a difference would be evident in no time.
In most churches HIV/AIDS ministries are led by women?’s groups or organisations ?– with very little or no support from church leaders. Some church leaders still think they have important things to do or say rather than be bothered by Aids. They keep talking about having to conduct too many funerals but are not doing enough to stop the killing.
The gospel of Jesus Christ that we as church leaders preach offers to the world life in all its fullness. The vision of the Kingdom of God brings near the hope and reality of a society built on the foundation of an all embracing love and compassion and decency. Jesus does not despise those whom society rejects but he shows compassion and love for them. The true proclamation of this gospel therefore requires that we openly embrace the plight of those infected and affected by HIV/AIDS.
What to do
1. Church leaders must openly condemn discrimination and stigmatization of people living with HIV/AIDS. Use pulpits and all platforms we get to encourage, love and care for the infected. (assuming that they have dealt with hang-ups themselves) We can no longer talk about ?“them?” and ?“us?” when it comes to HIV/AIDS in this country and in KwaZulu Natal. It has touched us all. We are all suffering from HIV/AIDS.
2. We must lead in educating on sex and sexuality (love them enough to talk about sex) Break the silence and discomfort.
3. Lead discussions and reflections on issues related to HIV/AIDS e.g. social inequalities that cause some to be more vulnerable than others. (the poor, women etc.)
4. We must support (where they are in place) and lead (where there is nothing) the HIV/AIDS work i.e. education on prevention, counseling etc. Enhance AIDS awareness ?– fear comes from lack of knowledge about this disease.)
5. Enter into dialogue with other sectors of society to learn and to share information and resources.
6. Advocacy must be a priority ?– using our influence to call for the rights of those infected, promote their dignity and ensure care and support for them.
7. Must lead collaborations on caring and supporting the directly affected i.e. orphans, widows, widowers and the elderly left with children. Talk and encourage those who can foster or adopt children.
I call on all Religious Leaders to be united in going all out to fight this disease. We are all the children of one God ?– faith backgrounds should not stop us from working together.
BISHOP PURITY MALINGA
NATAL COASTAL DISTRICT
METHODIST CHUCRH OF SOUTHERN AFRICA |
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