God, AIDS, Africa & HOPE

Reflections / Gedanken

12/02/2009 • 10:17 pm 1

02.12.2009 FIFA rules

What is to say in these days of the final draw for the soccer world cup 2010 in South Africa. FIFA rules and the city is a bit in chaos, specially when you use a car. So the only advice today is to stay home if you can and circle around the city as far as you can.
Today was besides office work not much to report on – luncheon with a friend of mine and as usual good talks. We both share the year-end fatigue 🙂 and with that, I will leave it for today and give in into the fatigue…  🙂 Most probably the shortest blog I ever wrote.

Filed under: Reflection, Uncategorized, ,

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, , , , , , , ,

11/29/2009 • 10:59 pm Comments Off on 29.11.2009 A new week

29.11.2009 A new week

A new week starts – the 1st Advent is already gone and with big steps we are approaching Christmas. This year, my service on Christmas Day will be in the parish of Milnerton. This is after 12 years of German Christmas a new experience.

But until then many things must be done, this week I must finish a lot of paperwork and next Sunday, Dominik will be ordained deacon, as mentioned before another chapter is closed then and I have done my duty. In the last 13 years we had in the German-speaking Catholic Community one Primiz, the first mass of a new priest and now the ordination of a German, who will after one year also be ordained priest. Should nobody say that we German-speaking people abroad having not done our bid to keep the church going.  🙂

Otherwise it was a more of a quiet weekend – some relaxation and I must admit this was very much-needed and welcomed.  I slowly but surely get used to my new working rhythm and when I can occupy in February my office at Tygerberg Campus, then I guess I have once again a very much structured working life.  And that is needed, specially with such a broad portfolio as I do have in the moment.

Yesterday came the second invite to participate in a podium discussion during the 2nd ecumenical church day in Munich. So not only “children and AIDS” but also “global learning” is now on my radar for this big event in Germany. I am happy that I can bring in my expertise in both fields and looking forward to Munich. But also the POZ initiative, the pastoral work for HIV positive priests and religious should be a topic for Munich, but as it seems rather on the sideline. There is still a long way to go until I will have this topic in Rome, but I am working on it… 🙂

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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, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

11/26/2009 • 11:04 pm Comments Off on 26.11.2009 news…

26.11.2009 news…

The news about the second report of child abuse in Ireland once can reminded us on the sins of our church and how difficult it is for an institution, to come to terms with its own past. Seeing the Archbishop of Dublin sitting there during a press conference and apologizing in his capacity as a bishop, but also as a human being, showed how stressful it is to deal with a now uncovered truth, nobody will really be able to repair the damage done. It teaches us as church a lesson and encourages us to be humble in all our duties to guide other people. It shows how deep even people who thought they were the guardians of the truth and the morals can fail in a way, only God can heal. Give God that we as a church learn out of it, but in a way that makes us better.  In the last years the church was tempted to put the guilt on some rotten apple, then it tried to connect homosexuality and pedophilia – at the end it showed that we as an institution are still not able simply to stand before God and men and acknowledge first and foremost our failure as people of God. Acknowledgement without any justification, just acknowledgement and deep shame should be first. And a clear understanding, that only honest reflection can lead the way forward to learn out of such a past. Such humbleness does not take away anything from the good things, the church has done also in the past, but it fits an organisation, calling itself the people of God.

Filed under: Reflection, Uncategorized, , , , ,

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