God, AIDS, Africa & HOPE

Reflections / Gedanken

10/15/2009 • 10:43 am Comments Off on 15.10.2005 Exhaustion and travel preparations

15.10.2005 Exhaustion and travel preparations

It is amazing how a body can hold on and keep one carrying through weeks of stress – until the point where it feels that rest is needed. That happened to me on Monday when my body simply shut down and I almost slept for 36 hours – with some small interruptions to get some food. An amazing feeling when you feel at the end of it all – nothing goes anymore, even to think seems to cause stress and is almost impossible.

After 2 days of further rest I am slowly getting back to normal and will leave for my trip to Germany and Vatican on coming Saturday. I will meet in Hannover with my friend Joachim Franz from be your own hero e.V. and we will both fly to Rome to meet with the papal council for health care workers to continue discussion we had in November last year. Then back to Wolfsburg where we will have a 2 days meeting to discuss further cooperation between us. Very exciting times for me, for HOPE Cape Town and for all those, who will benefit from more cooperation and maximized support.

Filed under: HOPE Cape Town Association & Trust, Networking, Reflection, , , , ,

10/10/2009 • 11:29 pm 3

10.10.2009 Are you still a priest?

I am not sure how often I have been asked that question. Even this evening, after supplying mass in a local parish people are worried about my status of priesthood. Many are confused about being a priest, but not having a fixed community to serve. Well, even when it was the 11th hour – I remain a priest and in employment of the church. The next question people ask is about the Fidei Donum priest – most have never heard of it.

Fidei Donum is the title of an encyclica of pope Paul VI where he encourages western churches to give priests to churches in developing countries. Most Fidei Donum priests of my diocese are in Bolivia as we have a partnership between Trier and Sucre in Bolivia.

The agreement says that I am now for the next 5 years as a Fidei Donum priest here in Cape Town with the portfolio of HIV and AIDS, HOPE Cape Town, Catholic Aids Network and other entities and besides that, I will supply for parishes in need of a priest for the eucharist.

Filed under: HOPE Cape Town Association & Trust, Reflection, Uncategorized, , , , , , ,

10/08/2009 • 9:12 am Comments Off on 08.10.2009 secret gag order?

08.10.2009 secret gag order?

Since I took up my post as Fidei Donum priest in the Archdiocese of Cape Town, I am asked again and again what secret deal I have made, what kind of restrictions are lying on me to be able to work in the fields of HIV and AIDS for the church. And seems that people doubt it when I say, that there has been no burden laid on me in any form. The frame of my work constitutes our faith, which means that we have to proclaim that everybody is loved by God and that this love is unconditional. The frame is marked by the message of Jesus, that we are all brothers and sisters and that we have to care for each other. The frame is set by the spirit of God, his good spirit allowing all men and women to achieve full potential of their lives if it is not messed up by the fellow brothers and sisters. The framework consists of the message of justice for all, peace for all and an environment, which will keep a future for our kids and the kids of the kids.

I never doubted or lost that framework, and that is why I believe that it must be possible to talk to each other without any anxiety, to meet each other, to listen to each other. I will always be concerned if man of the cloth or employees of the church don’t meet this basic rule. I suspect, that if there is anxiety to speak to one another, there is a lack of experience of God’s unconditional love.
Nevertheless, in the framework of our faith I am working now in the new portfolio and I have no intention to change that frame. I believe that religion and faith has much power to give to the people, lots of strength, and hope and believe in a good future. And all this I want to take to those here in South Africa, who are stigmatized thought the pandemic and this little virus called HI virus.

Lets see how it all develops…

Filed under: HOPE Cape Town Association & Trust, Networking, Reflection, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

10/05/2009 • 11:14 pm Comments Off on 05.10.2009 office too close to my home…

05.10.2009 office too close to my home…

Monday morning, and instead driving to town in the morning, I just have to open a door and I am in my new office.. It is tempting to do this before being ready for the outside world.. and I guess it needs quite some discipline not to jump with a cup of coffee just into it, from the bed to the desk so to speak.

I will try to keep it separate – office work is office work and home is home. I prefer the distance between both, but that might come in due course of the next months.
I had to prepare for a workshop of Catholic AIDS network this morning, I was asked to give an overview about new care and treatment options and new developments in research. So I will speak about the Berlin patient, about the Thailand vaccine trial and other remarkable stories and new developments on the medication sector. The chairperson of HOPE Cape Town will also be there and report on the situation in South Africa, which looks much more dark than people want to believe. We have massive problems in delivering services and bringing people on treatment.
I also had a meeting at Tygerberg with the Dean of the Sport Sciences Faculty from Munich and some management members – ways of cooperation were discussed and we learned about the sport sciences in Germany and they about HOPE Cape Town in South Africa. In the evening then the celebration of the German National Day – a good one this year with lots of people I haven’t seen in ages and a good speech of the Consul General Mr. Bussmann. So quite a day, in between SA Telkom and the post office .. a full day.

I just realised this evening that my diary is full till I leave for Germany – it is amazing how little time the 8 days have.. I wish, I could extend that timeframe to get all done, what is still waiting to be worked on and finalised. Well, some night sleep has to be sacrificed to get it all done.

Filed under: HOPE Cape Town Association & Trust, Reflection, Uncategorized, , , , , , ,

10/01/2009 • 10:46 pm Comments Off on 01.09.2009 First day without my community

01.09.2009 First day without my community

The day started like all the days before with early being in my office @ the Mediterranean Villa. And it ends now with having packed all my stuff which will be transported to my new interim office at home.  But it was amazing for me how many people send email or phoned to say that they think of me having my first day in the new job description. I just hope that the description now gets clearer by the day. A lot of preparation has to be done now for my trip to Germany and  Italy in two weeks time – and on Tuesday is already the Catholic AIDS Network workshop for priests and religious where I should inform people about the newest developments in treatment and care. So the weekend will not only see my official farewell mass at Nazareth House but also some preparation work for the workshop.

There are so many ideas and visions in my head now, but first I have to settle down with my office and get it in working condition again. And to get used that my office is only some meters away from where I am living.

My new role with HOPE Cape Town is also starting to become clearer, this was a rather painful process but necessary. After having myself detached from the daily business and only participated via the management team, it has now newly to be defined. It is indeed like a sort of new beginning or should I better say: It is like knowing somebody very well and suddenly discovering a completely different site of him or her, watching from a totally different angle. I am sure it will become a somehow newly exciting journey.

But otherwise: a new chapter in my life starts rather uneventful. Good so.

Filed under: HOPE Cape Town Association & Trust, Reflection, Uncategorized, , , , , , ,

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