God, AIDS, Africa & HOPE

Reflections / Gedanken

01/12/2010 • 2:54 pm Comments Off on 12.01.2010 Installation of a new bishop

12.01.2010 Installation of a new bishop

Today, the invitation arrived via email to attend the installation of the new Archbishop of Cape Town, Stephen Brislin.  As always in the life of the church, a new bishop awaits a huge amount of different expectations and hopes. And these expectations and hopes are most times so far away from each other, that it seems to be a mission impossible to be a bishop in our days.  On the other hand: Within the church, a bishop has power and according to the CIC he is the head of the community of the faithful with many far-reaching rights. Especially when it comes to the lives of the priests – so much of their well-being hangs in balance with a good bishop’s rule. Humility and the knowledge, that we are all remain humans, even in the service of the church, are essential for such a service. And this is indeed the core of his vocation: To be a servant for the people of in this case Cape Town, to assist in the well-being of the people of God, to encourage and go with and lead those seeking to come closer to God.

And obviously, he does it not alone, but in communion with the other bishops and the bishop of Rome. In our days, it seems that this communion is rather centralized – word coming from Rome and filtering down to the different dioceses’.  From outside it looks and from inside it feels often as a one-way-road. It would be great if the communion and the collegium of the bishops will play a bigger role in the life of the universal church, so that also we from Cape Town, we from Africa can contribute more to the development of this universal church. It would also support the message of the African Synod which puts lots of responsibility on the church of Africa.

Filed under: Reflection, Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

01/05/2010 • 9:47 am Comments Off on 05.01.2010 Holiday blues…

05.01.2010 Holiday blues…

Staying on holiday so far away from home has two disadvantages: The first is that people forget that there is indeed a time difference and that phoning me in the evening means waking me up after midnight. Well, one might say, that one could simply switch off the cell during night – and yes, that’s right. But – and this is the second disadvantage: climax points of disasters and worries happening normally especially, when one is far away – so one is needed the most, when one is far away… Or is that only my fantasy?? 🙂

Nevertheless, Bangkok is starting to fill up again with people and cars and noise; normal life has come back to the city of angels. And checking the news I see our president dancing the Zulu wedding dance in full leopard outfit – his third wife, not to count the divorced one and the deceased one – and it is mentioned that he is already engaged with future wife number four. And it comes to my mind what that all means to fidelity in marriage – and the concept of marriage as we Catholics have. Not to mention that his now third wife has already three kids – so sexuality must have been practiced before marriage. Which is obvious for most Africans, as after paying the lobola the couple is allowed to engage in sexual activities before the wedding ceremony – old African traditions – once again – what does this mean to the more Eurocentric view of Catholicism which puts sex only into the marriage.

Here in Bangkok I am reading in the moment a book about katoeys – the third gender in Thailand – and once again I asked myself, what does the existence of such a third gender mean in the framework of Catholic moral theology.

So not, only sleepless nights, but also so many questions and so little answer…  And all this has indeed also to do with the topic of HIV and AIDS and how we approach it.. Well, I still have more than a week time to find some…  🙂

Filed under: General, HIV and AIDS, HIV Prevention, Politics and Society, Reflection, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

12/13/2009 • 12:07 pm Comments Off on 13.12.2009 25 years of Tafelsig Parish

13.12.2009 25 years of Tafelsig Parish

In half an hour I will got to attend the luncheon, given on the occasion of 25 years of the Catholic parish Tafelsig in Cape Town. A friend of mine is parish priest for this community and it is with pleasure that I will go and mingle with the people there. 25 years is not a long time – and one has to realise, that being a “Catholic” in South Africa is until today rather something suspicious. Invitation, where I am invited with wife show the grade of knowledge about Catholicism and from the “good old times” it was known, that Catholics are subversive: during the apartheid times it was mainly the Catholic church siding with the black communities; a lot of priests were driven out of the country. Only after the end of apartheid the Catholic church really starts to be much more visible. I remember the year 1998 where my application for permanent residence was put on hold. I had to appear in front of a committee, at that time in the Western Cape rather a “white affair, and the only question I had to answer was about my relationship with the Vatican. Amazing experience- you could still sense the anxiety of the apartheid system about possible Vatican spies on the wrong side of the battle of minds and for the security of a “white country”.
I think one can compare this a bit with the situation in the occupied territories of the Westbank and the Gaza Strip, where the state Israel also does everything to make it difficult for Catholic priests and social workers to do their bit to ease the situation.

Also at Tygerberg Hospital during the opening of the HOPE Cape Town project and the Ithemba Ward once again it showed that Catholicism was not “normal” in Afrikaans circles. According to some from the hospital, it was the first time in 2001, that a Catholic priest was doing the official blessing – in this case together with a Rabbi and an Imam.
And HOPE Cape Town remains a brainchild of a Catholic priest and the Chairperson of the German-speaking Catholic Community at that time – even when the organisation is since then working together with all denominations, religions and society groups.

So in celebrating 25 years of the Catholic parish in Tafelsig all this comes to my mind – and I am pleased to say, that the vast majority of work in the fields of HIV and AIDS is done by the Catholic church or initiated by our church.  A lot is said about the Catholic Church in these days, and not always that positive; therefore it is good to remind ourselves of all the good things the church is doing, most times through the people working at grass root level. Let’s celebrate these people also in Tafelsig.

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

11/26/2009 • 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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