God, AIDS, Africa & HOPE

Reflections / Gedanken

12/01/2009 • 10:05 pm Comments Off on 01.12.2009 World AIDS Day..

01.12.2009 World AIDS Day..

It doesn’t matter where I look, it is obvious: it is World AIDS Day and it seems everybody is on this day aware of the pandemic and it’s consequences. Even our president Jacob Zuma – he will go for a test, he vows to treat all children tested positive from April next year, statistics are run up and down in all newspapers – every bit of good news are squized again and again – the challenges mentioned – and somehow I think it is every year the same for one day.. and then it ceases again – and the lives of the millions of people infected and affected is shelved again until next year same time. One could be cynical about it, if there wouldn’t be hope – or HOPE.. 🙂

Here in Cape Town, the FIFA draw on Friday overshadows anyhow the World AIDS Day – streets are closed, traffic jams, police helicopters all day long, a city preparing for another special day where the world will be watching what is happening at the convention centre of the mother city. All over the city workers trying to finish off for the big draw – and then, for the next half a year, soccer will rule South Africa and everything else has to wait until August 2010.

I am just coming back from a reception marking 100 years of South African – Japanese relationship – and one can see the typical Cape Town syndrome beginning of December: Everybody somehow tired from the rush of November – the hectic of all-has-to-be-done until the summer holidays arrive in a couple of days.  My little success today was just to get the internet up and running again – the second time in two weeks that the line collapses and the reason is clear now: Telkom sells an ADSL speed which are too fast for the old lines… 🙂 also a way to make business..  Now the speed is down again and the line stable and up again….

Also with HOPE Cape Town we are short before the holiday season starts for most of our employees. We still got some visitors on our list until mid December, so enough to prepare and time is flying. I must admit that I am also happy if it all slows down a bit for the festive season. This year was an amazing one and I have seen the best and the worst from church colleagues, I have been trapped in empty promises and saw myself almost at the end of my church career, my life has been turned up side down so many times at will of other people, and now, at the end it looks like the uneven lines of life are leading to a years end with the promise of meaningful work for the years to come. It almost sounds like a years end blog, but all the traffic and times of stop and go are ideal times for reflection of past and present times. The rest of my thoughts then at the year’s end blog.. but it might well be only in the new year… Then New Years Eve this year, I will celebrate in Thailand – and I am sure I  will be out of the streets to celebrate with the crowd on the streets of Bangkok.  It is one of the last festive times, I never had the time to celebrate in the East, so I am looking forward to it. But before still some hard work – and some sleep. 🙂

Filed under: General, HIV and AIDS, HOPE Cape Town Association & Trust, Networking, Reflection, Society and living environment, , , , , , , ,

11/28/2009 • 2:34 am Comments Off on 28.11.2009 Malicious journalism and great AGM’s

28.11.2009 Malicious journalism and great AGM’s

Giving interviews is always tricky in our days – and when the topic is HIV and AIDS and the newspaper is a Catholic one, even more. I had in Munich a lengthy interview with the LinzerKirchenzeitung – and the interviewer really did a great job. Obviously the “condom question” was prominent – again, but I felt that I really tried to be as detailed and balanced as possible. Those who are able to read German can read the excerpt under http://www.dioezese-linz.or.at/redaktion/index.php?action_new=Lesen&Article_ID=51939

This morning I find an article about the article on “kath.net” under the headline: “Kondom Theologie in der Linzer Kirchenzeitung” (Condom theology in the Catholic newspaper of Linz – in German language). Reading this vile concoction I suddenly realise that I could have put it in the interview in any form – it would not matter at all. Here are people writing, who simply want to slate someone, in this case me. Anything goes, as long as at the end, the person concerned is put down. I feel ashamed that this is labeled “Catholic news. I would expect more from real Catholic news…  Love, respect and fairness are important virtues of Catholic journalism. This morning I find an article about the article on “kath.net” under the headline:

This afternoon then our two General Annual Meetings, first for the HOPE Cape Town Association and then for the HOPE Cape Town Trust. I must admit that afterwards I am really a happy man. Both AGM’s have been inspiring, a good motivation for the coming year. Dedicated trustees who want to get involved in the fundraising efforts and so adding to the work of HOPE Cape Town. One can sense that there is a good spirit amongst all of us and that the goodwill will go the extra mile to achieve the goals of HOPE Cape Town for the next years. It is indeed a pleasure to be part of such a project. And listening to the chairwoman’s report of the association, it amazes me anew, how diverse our work is. Running with it daily one sometimes tends to forget and miss the sheer bandwidth of our work.

I also want to use this blog to thank all of management, the employees, the trustees, the members of the advisory board, the sponsors and donors and friends of HOPE Cape Town for their dedication and for most I can say, for their friendship. My fellow management members I want to say a special thank you for the unique ways, we work together. It is not always easy with all the unique characters we have :-), but after 8 years one can sense that feel of belonging and appraisal for each other. For me, HOPE Cape Town is part of my family.

Filed under: HIV and AIDS, HOPE Cape Town Association & Trust, Networking, Reflection, Society and living environment, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

11/12/2009 • 6:39 am Comments Off on 12.11.2009 Maybe there is hope…

12.11.2009 Maybe there is hope…

I came across this article from IOL, which seems to provide proof that we move from showering away the virus getting into serious debate on the political front:

Zuma issues HIV wake-up call

By Carien du Plessis (copyright IOL 2009)

President Jacob Zuma yesterday call for national mobilisation against HIV/ Aids, saying South Africans had to come to terms with the reality that the country was “not yet winning” the battle against the pandemic. Speaking in the National Council of Provinces, he cited “chilling statistics” of the number of South Africans dying, warning there was “a real danger” that deaths would soon overtake the number of births.  In an emphatic departure from the Aids denialism that marked the era of his predecessor, Thabo Mbeki, Zuma said “extraordinary measures” were needed “if we are to stop the progress of this disease through our society”. Recent statistics from the Department of Health, Human Sciences Research Council, Medical Research Council, Statistics SA and other sources “paint a disturbing picture of the health of our nation”, Zuma said:

  • Nearly six out of 10 deaths during 2006 were of people younger than 50.

  • The number of deaths registered in 2008 jumped to 756 000, up from 573 000 the previous year, when just more than a million births were registered (1 205 111).

  • The Independent Electoral Commission had to remove 396 336 names of deceased people from the voters roll in September 2008 and August this year.

  • The average life expectancy of South African men in 2006 was 51 years, while in Senegal it was 60 and in Algeria 70.

  • Some studies suggested that more than half – 57 percent – of deaths of children under five in 2007 were due to HIV.

    “More and more people are dying young, threatening even to outnumber in proportional terms those who die in old age,” Zuma said. “At this rate, there is a real danger that the number of deaths will soon overtake the number of births.” What was “even more disturbing” was the number of young women dying “in the prime of their life, in their child-bearing years”. The situation was made worse by high levels of tuberculosis infection, with the co-infection rate between HIV and TB now “a staggering 73 percent”, with 481 584 people ill with the disease. “These are some of the chilling statistics that demonstrate the devastating impact that HIV and Aids is having on our nation,” Zuma said. He called on political leaders to lead by example and have themselves tested.

    • After this wake up call suddenly other political entities are also declaring the need of a change in politics. Where have all these intelligent people been the last years?????

    Filed under: HIV and AIDS, HIV Prevention, HIV Treatment, Networking, Politics and Society, Reflection, Society and living environment, , , ,

    11/11/2009 • 11:03 pm Comments Off on 11.11.2009 Suicide goalkeeper…

    11.11.2009 Suicide goalkeeper…

    He was famous, still young, happily married – a star for many soccer fans and expected in South Africa for the Soccer World cup 2010 – and he ended with suicide. TV pictures showing fans laying flowers and burning candles in front of the stadium of Hannover 96, the cancellation of a National soccer match, tears and bewilderment. A rising star of the soccer heaven ending smashed by a train.

    It ones again shows to me, how little we often know about people, how little we really care about what people going through. We take the life clippings we like to see and on the other side we produce for the world and the people around us the life clippings we want them to see. And sometimes, there is always a variety on such clippings, depending whom we meet. And very often, we ourselves believe that these cuttings are the real person, the real life.

    He was scared of losing his child when he would come out in the open with the depression he suffered. And once again: how often do we think I cannot come out with this or that because.. because I am scared that nobody will understand, that people draw the wrong conclusions, that the reactions will hinder the blossom of life.

    I also know this feeling to hold back, to give only life clippings, to hide some parts of the person I am – as we all know I guess… and sometimes one only wants to scream and shout and say: Here look at the real me – look at me  in a holistic way, look into the eye of a real life, which always has so many facets from dark till light colour. But we don’t do and we are becoming artists and experts in hiding.

    Exactly at this point I think that our Christian faith can give us the possibility, at least in front of ourselves to be honest in presenting ourselves – this unconditional love of God we are talking about in almost every church service could liberate us from all hiding. And if we only start to be honest to ourselves and our significant other – but there already it starts.
    I do remember a chat with a friend of mine where we reflected on how we are able to communicate our lives to others – and we asked ourselves who, except us, do know all major facets of our lives. We share with different people different parts of our life – but who, except God, does know it all or at least most of it?

    We both opened up at that time and I must say that was the beginning of a liberation I did not experienced until then – the beginning of a deep friendship without hiding, a feeling of being accepted as one is – no need for selection. I am very grateful to this friend until this very day, he is a blessing in my life and for my life and I am grateful for every time, we meet and can share. In certain moments, he was a life line in the last year.

    Our life is to precious as that we waste it or waste our energy in covering up and hiding. Surely, there are matters, we don’t want to read in the headlines of the newspapers; but I wish for everybody a circle of friends and trusted persons who represent the unconditional love of God in their respective life. And the courage, to expand this own limitation of truthfulness and open acknowledgement of own realities as much as possible. It would indeed in my opinion make the world a better place for all.

    Also in the fields of HIV and AIDS, this unconditional love, this truthfulness to one’s own diversity and all shadows of grey in between is a major topic when it comes to combat stigma and discrimination.

    Filed under: HIV and AIDS, Reflection, Society and living environment, Uncategorized, , , , , , , , ,

    11/06/2009 • 12:56 pm Comments Off on 06.11.2009 What does the church say about HIV and AIDS?

    06.11.2009 What does the church say about HIV and AIDS?

    by Kenneth R. Overberg S.J. (from the website NCAN) – an indeed interesting article summarizing the stand of the church. Written some years ago and published on the NCAN website, an Catholic organisation in the USA which ceased in 2007.

    A frequently asked question is: What does the Catholic Church say about AIDS? (Although the church is the whole people of God, the question usually means the Pope and bishops.) Other questions often stand behind this one: Is AIDS a form of God’s punishment? How should I respond to my child who is HIV positive? Besides suffering from AIDS, why do I suffer so much prejudice and rejection, even from other members of the Church? Can we do anything about this world-wide epidemic?  The Church, in fact, has spoken clearly and powerfully about HIV/AIDS. Based on the Bible and on the Church’s long tradition and especially on the life of Jesus, the Church’s teachings have stressed 1) the value and dignity of every person, 2) the rights and responsibilities of society, 3) the love and compassion of God.

    Where do these points, each deserving special attention, come from? Many national conferences of bishops have issued statements concerning HIV/AIDS. In the United States, the Administrative Board of the U.S. Catholic Conference published The Many Faces of AIDS: A Gospel Response in 1987. The whole National Conference of Catholic Bishops published Called to Compassion and Responsibility: A Response to the HIV/AIDS Crisis in 1989. Since then individual bishops or groups of bishops have addressed their people. Similarly, Pope John Paul II has regularly spoken about HIV/AIDS, either at AIDS conferences or during his visits to nations, especially those suffering from AIDS in a critical way. (Most of these statements can be found in Origins, the CNS documentary service published weekly.)

    Human Dignity

    Let’s first listen to several excerpts from the bishops’ statements. “Made in God’s image and likeness, every human person is of inestimable worth. All human life is sacred, and its dignity must be respected and protected” (The Many Faces of AIDS). “The Gospel demands reverence for life in all circumstances” (Bishop John Ricard, 1994). “Discrimination and violence against persons with AIDS and with HIV infection are unjust and immoral” (Called to Compassion and Responsibility). “The necessary prevention against the AIDS threat is not to be found in fear, but rather in the conscious choice of a healthy, free and responsible lifestyle” (Pope John Paul II to a Vatican AIDS conference, 1989). The message is clear: every human being is created in God’s image, redeemed by Jesus, and called to everlasting life. Accordingly, all persons have worth and dignity, rooted simply in who they are (and not in what they do or achieve). This conviction about the preciousness of every life grounds the Church’s teachings about HIV/AIDS.  People living with HIV/AIDS face discrimination which is dehumanizing and suffering which strips the person’s sense of worth and dignity. Of course, this worth also needs to be cherished and protected by all of us, by individuals and organizations, especially the Church. All forms of discrimination are wrong, whether in housing, jobs, insurance, health care, or religion. Long sections of The Many Faces of AIDS and Called to Compassion and Responsibility consider these issues in detail.  Because we are sacred and precious, all of us are called to live in ways that embody and express this dignity. There is, then, a serious call to personal responsibility and to personal behavior change. In the context of the AIDS epidemic, we all need to affirm healthy relationships rooted in trust, honesty, and respect. HIV/AIDS touches upon the issues of sexuality and sexual orientation, substance abuse and addictions, often in a context of poverty, racism, and sexism. The Church’s statements remind HIV-infected persons of their grave moral responsibility not to expose others to the virus. All people are encouraged to respect the dignity of others, both in their personal feelings and interactions and in the structures of society.

    Solidarity

    The Church’s teachings speak extensively about the rights and responsibilities of society. “As members of the Church and society, we have a responsibility to stand in solidarity with and reach out with compassion and understanding to those exposed to or experiencing this disease. We must provide spiritual and pastoral care as well as medical and social services for them and support for their families and friends” (The Many Faces of AIDS).  “A comprehensive AIDS education then has to: place AIDS within a moral context; impart accurate medical information and challenge misinformation; motivate individuals to accept the responsibility for personal choices and actions; confront discrimination and foster the kind of compassion which Jesus showed to others; model justice and compassion through policies and procedures” (New Mexico Bishops, 1990). “As far as HIV is concerned, moreover, social responsibility has an important international dimension” (Called to Compassion and Responsibility). “AIDS has by far many more profound repercussions of a moral, social, economic, juridical and structural nature, not only on individual families and in neighborhood communities, but also on nations and on the entire community of peoples” (Pope John Paul II to a Vatican AIDS conference, 1989).

    The variety of these quotations highlight the complexity of this section. Solidarity leads to immediate care, to education, and to changing social structures.

    Following the example of Jesus, the Church has long cared for the sick. The global spread of HIV/AIDS and the serious suffering that marks this disease challenged and renewed this ministry, especially in developing countries where health care resources are so severely limited. Hospitals with special care for persons with AIDS, hospices, caring for children who have been orphaned by AIDS, providing sensitive pastoral care: these and other steps have been urged and promised in the Church’s teachings. All of us can contribute with some form of direct care through parishes or local HIV/AIDS agencies: support groups, transportation, child care, meal programs–or at least we can support those who can do this.

    Since prevention is still imperative, education must play a pivotal role in responding to HIV/AIDS. As the quotation from the New Mexico bishops indicates, a comprehensive program would include a variety of essential elements. Implementing such a program in parishes and schools would be challenging but is a fitting response to the bishops’ frequent call for clear understanding. Solidarity signifies our connection with our sisters and brothers around the world–and so raises the need for social justice. As the US bishops pointed out already in 1989, “It is of critical importance to recognize the shift of the disease to economically disadvantaged populations.” It has only become worse since then. Poverty, oppression, alienation, and marginalization provide the perfect breeding ground for HIV/AIDS. Being poor and female particularly puts a person at risk. So, along with personal behavior change there is the overwhelming need for systemic change, for confronting and reducing racism, sexism, and classism. Recent developments in treatments using “combination” therapies have had many positive results. The great majority of HIV-infected persons in the world, however, have no access to basic health care, much less to these therapies. The success in the United States must not numb us to the devastation that HIV/AIDS is having on women, men, and children throughout the world. The long tradition of Catholic social teachings helps us address the economic, political, and social structures which profoundly impact these lives. Concrete action is possible both locally and globally, and certainly is called for by the teachings of the Church.

    Grace

    Everything the Church has said about HIV/AIDS has been stated in the context of faith and trust in a good and gracious God. “While preaching a Gospel of compassion and conversion, Jesus also proclaimed to those most in need the Good News of forgiveness. The father in the parable of the prodigal son did not wait for his son to come to him. Rather, he took the initiative and ran out to his son with generosity, forgiveness, and compassion” (The Many Faces of AIDS). “The love of God is so great that it goes beyond the limits of human language, beyond the grasp of artistic expression, beyond human understanding . . . . [God] loves us all with an unconditional and everlasting love” (Pope John Paul II as quoted in Called to Compassion and Responsibility).  “The cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ shed light on the true meaning and value of human suffering. The Lord invites everyone to join him on the road to Calvary and to share in the joy of Easter” (Pope John Paul II to those in St. Francis Hospital, Uganda, 1993). “The threat of AIDS now confronts our generations with the end of earthly life in a manner which is all the more overwhelming because it is linked, directly or indirectly, to the transmission of life and love . . . . It is all part of the difficult problem of the meaning of suffering and of the value of all life, even when it is damaged or weakened” (Pope John Paul II to the bishops of Burundi, 1990). The various Church statements about HIV/AIDS always affirm the love and compassion of God. Jesus has revealed a God who loves each of us unconditionally, a God who forgives our sinful actions. God is not vengeful. God respects human freedom, calling us to love and responsibility, but not interfering even with destructive choices. HIV/AIDS is a human illness not a punishment from God. The statements are very clear about these points. HIV/AIDS causes great suffering and death. And so the Church teachings address this sober reality, helping people to stand before the mystery of suffering and to realize that even here God’s tender mercies can be experienced. The teachings neither downplay the immensity of the suffering nor promote a passive acceptance. Rather the teachings urge all Christians to model their lives after Jesus, trusting in God, bringing comfort to those in need, and confronting oppressive structures and situations.

    Continuing Tensions

    Not surprisingly, these teachings have met with debate and disagreement, especially in three areas: 1) the understanding of human sexuality, 2) strategies for prevention, 3) social justice.

    1. Long before HIV/AIDS was identified, the Church’s teachings about heterosexuality and homosexuality had been questioned. The continued emphasis on holding together the procreative and unitive dimensions of sexual intercourse only in the context of marriage receives little support from cultures that trivialize sexuality. (It is estimated that by the year 2000 80 percent of HIV infections worldwide will be caused by heterosexual intercourse.) Presently, some enlightened discussion, such as the US bishops’ pastoral message “Always Our Children,” and many heated exchanges also swirl around the issue of homosexuality.
    2. Many people working for the prevention of the spread of HIV recommend both the use of condoms and needle-exchange programs. The Church’s teachings have not supported these practices, arguing that they send the wrong message about sex and drugs and may ultimately lead to the increased spread of HIV. The statements recommend education and treatment aimed at changing behavior. One exception to this teaching was a statement by the Social Commission of the French Bishops’ Conference in 1996. In a very limited and nuanced way, the statement acknowledges that the use of condoms to prevent the spread of HIV may be necessary.
    3. The Church’s social teachings had also been rejected by many people long before AIDS. Economic, political, and social powers do not easily yield to Gospel values. As we saw in the earlier section on solidarity, however, economic justice and the end of violent oppression are urgently needed to slow the spread of HIV/AIDS. As the debates continue, so do the deaths and suffering from AIDS, particularly in the developing countries. HIV/AIDS may rarely make the headlines these days, but it continues to devastate the lives of individuals, families, and communities. In this context our Church calls us to live and act as informed citizens and faithful disciples. “The crisis continues, but it can be met with understanding, justice, reason and deep faith” (Called to Compassion and Responsibility).

    Kenneth R. Overberg, S.J., is a professor of theology at Xavier University in Cincinnati. He is author of “AIDS, Ethics and Religion” (Orbis Books) and “AIDS: A Worsening Crisis Challenges Church and Society” in Catholic Update, January 1993, and “AIDS, Leprosy, and the Bible” in Scripture from Scratch, October 1998 (both from St. Anthony Messenger Press). The following article was first printed in The Mirror, the Catholic paper of Springfield-Cape Girardeau, MO.

    Filed under: HIV and AIDS, , , , , ,

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