God, AIDS, Africa & HOPE

Reflections / Gedanken

06/22/2011 • 12:24 am Comments Off on Explizit net

Explizit net

I am a preacher since many years, but since quite a time, I am asked to put things into writing – culminating in the book “Gott-AIDS-Afrika” 2007 with the journalist Bartholomaeus Grill. And I discovered that writing also can be powerful – equally not easy like preaching. One has to prepare, to think through, to be able to tell a story, to catch an audience – and sometimes simply deliver some facts or comment on a development in a meaningful and fair way. A couple of weeks ago I was asked whether I could contribute on a permanent base towards “explizit.net”, which tries to bring as a Catholic Internet portal a variety of news to its readers. All more than just plain news, rather some insight into happenings in church, religion, politics and society.
i agreed and try now in my way to contribute that German-speaking people can understand more the happenings of Africa, with a fous of Southern Africa. And I discovered that writing also helps me to look more in-depth, to think more about events, to investigate further and so to come myself to a deeper understanding of the matters.
So far, I looked into the AIDS conference in New York, wrote about the Libya crisis and the response of the AU and reflected on South Africa’s draft secrecy bill. A piece on the re-election of Julius Malema is in the making and might be online the time this blog is also online. And not to forget HOPE & JOY, the initiative of the Jesuit institute close to Johannesburg honouring the 50th anniversary of the proclamation of the 2nd Vatican Council.

And I discovered interesting reading from others contributing to the website. Much better reading then I am used to from some of the other so-called Catholic websites,which are mainly acting as the defender of a long-lost faith construction. So, well, if you are in for it: http://www.explizit.net – worth registering 🙂

Filed under: Networking, Reflection, Society and living environment, Uncategorized, , , , , , , ,

06/19/2011 • 2:46 pm Comments Off on Blessed – or Hiphop in church…

Blessed – or Hiphop in church…

I am blessed, that I experienced this morning again, when I celebrated my 25th anniversary of being a priest in the parish of Manenberg. In Cape Town, for many people Manenberg stands for gangsters, drugs, violence, fear, gangs, guns – and so it was maybe not unusual that the drivers of  a Ultraliquor store in town refused to deliver drinks to Manenberg on a Sunday morning, fearing for their lives. For me Manenberg is the place where I can feel that this is a place where one can touch who Christians call God. Different perceptions – but it was a great celebration with international flair:

HIPHOP in church

 

 

USA, Malaysia, Austria, Germany and South Africa were represented – the parish priest and my friend Fr Wim brought down the Holy Trinity (Trinity Sunday) so that people could understand and feel what it means for them in their lives. The youngsters from the Amy Biehl Foundation – Catholic Church School Aftercare program contributed with music, flutes and HipHop dance in front of the altar. Liturgical dance brought another aspect of life into the celebration. Afterwards music of brass instruments and a warm soup, coffee, tea and cool drink… A wonderful celebration in one of the most neglected parts of Cape Town.
I am blessed – did I say that already?

Manenberg parish

 

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

06/17/2011 • 5:18 pm Comments Off on Welcome in Manenberg

Welcome in Manenberg

This afternoon the World AIDS Awareness Expedition was due to have a reception in Manenberg after a Round Table at the German Consulate General. Unfortunately the team did not make it yet till Cape Town, still stuck somewhere between Kinshasa and the border to Angola – so the latest news. The kids of the Amy Biehl Foundation – RC Church afterschool care had prepared for this big event and so the organizers of HOPE Cape Town had decided to go ahead with the programme. Instead of the team it was my task to take the kids to follow the route of the expedition so far and to tell them about my experience with the almost 5 weeks, I joined the team in the Americas. Photos and video clips made the talk an easy to follow one and it was great to see those present feel to be part of a bigger picture, of a closer coming world, of a global village we often forget to realize in all the dramas of daily struggle.
Three team members, awaiting news from the team and supposed to join in Cape Town, almost the whole board of the HOPE Cape Town Association, HOPE Community Health Workers joined the parishioners and kids as well as Fr Wim. For me it was great to see how kids have learned on their instruments since beginning of the year. And the hiphop dancers were really marvellous. Not to forget the catering, so that nobody had to go home hungry. I guess we went home all with the feeling that ‘move the world” also takes place in Manenberg, thanks to many who assist within and outside the community.

Yesterday evening I gave a talk for students of the Duke University at the Mediterranean Villa – interesting to engage with young adults from the US, especially as two of the students are volunteer at our organisation. Once again worlds came together which are normally far away. Also that moves the world in many ways.
So as I write this blog entry, I am deeply moved by what I have seen, heard and encountered the last 24 hours. It is indeed a blessing to be part of bringing worlds together and maybe assist, together with others, to make the world a better place.

And for the expedition we all hope that they find a good way to continue they trip and their very important mission for the world.

Filed under: HIV and AIDS, HOPE Cape Town Association & Trust, Networking, , , , , , , , , ,

02/20/2011 • 6:26 pm 2

First get rid of the relics

Some 144 German Catholic theologians, along with a handful of colleagues from Austria and Switzerland, recently issued a public declaration calling for reforms on matters such as celibacy, women priests and homosexuality. The list of signatories represents roughly one-third of Germany’s professors of Catholic theology. The letter also touches upon lay participation, styles of leadership, the liturgy, and the legal culture of the church. While most bishops and remarkably the secretary of the German Bishops Conference welcomed in principle a debate about burning issues of the church, the chair of the German Bishops Conference, Archbishop Zollitsch set a different tone today writing an article for “Die Welt”.

He questioned the public declaration by saying, that even having benevolence for the authors of the declaration, nobody would think seriously that the list of reforms would lead to a new flourishing church and faith in our days.  For him, the question rather is how to keep alive in our society the question for God and a convincing Christian answer.

I understood the declaration differently and I never assumed that anybody will think that with the requested reforms the church will directly be beamed into a new spring with people flocking to become active Catholics again. But something else would happen: Getting rid of the relics which borders us since ages could free our thinking and acting to follow the question of God and faith in our world. All these topics we discuss in our church since the last century – and it was widely reported that even Benedict XVI in his earlier time signed a declaration lamenting the situation of the church and calling for a rethink of celibacy.

HIV & AIDS are practical examples. We hardly have time to think of new strategies how to approach people in this regard and to change the habits of people because every discussion with the secular world ends that we have to defend the stance on condoms and sexuality. Additional for all those who want to have a career in the church, there is the constant anxiety to keep the official line. This stance has given away lots of credibility – we are simply not relevant anymore in these questions. Reconciling us with modern sciences in these fields and getting rid of the relics would free us to be able to think constructive and to deal honesty with the people concerned. It would enable us to give the answers of the questions of today and space for new considerations and a development of theology and spirituality.

So to answer the question of the article:  how to keep alive in our society the question for God and a convincing Christian answer is to free ourselves from stances which are not essential for the church and to allow then a real debate to answer from a Christian point of view the questions really asked by modern society and its people.

Filed under: HIV and AIDS, HIV Prevention, Reflection, , , , , , , ,

02/13/2011 • 8:37 am Comments Off on The knives are out at home…

The knives are out at home…

It seems the knives are out in the Catholic church especially of my country of birth and in Europe – everybody wants dialogue but it seems that every fraction is fighting seemingly assuming that their position is the right way into a bright future of the RC church. The permission of the “old tridentine mass” as the extraordinary mass and the remarks of the pope regarding the condom use in the book of Mr Seewald – mixed with the abuse cases, the attempt to change the text of the mass to make it more “latin like” – from outside it looks frightening – fulled by irresponsible essays and news of so-called “catholic” websites in German language lacking every inch of the ethos of Catholicism and using a language rather be found in the times of the thirties of the last century in Germany. The just published declaration of theologian in Germany calling for a review of celibacy, women ordination and viri probati shows that since the II Vatican Council, nothing really has moved in these fields – binding our energy for matters which should have been resolved a long time ago.

If we really want to tackle the issues of the people and the faithful of our times, we have to stop fighting but first of all listening to each other. What energy is burned to hold up a certain ideology in our church or a so-called “tradition” – anxiety instead of freedom, attack and defence instead of listening to God’s good spirit.
And obviously this has also consequences for the topic, this blog is reflecting about. How much energy some put in to defend “Humanae Vitae” in a way which simply made it impossible within the church to develop an answer to the question: protection of life. And as Benedict XVI dared to speak his theological mind not saying anything new – for days the newspaper were full of comments and the Vatican had to issue three statements to interpret the interview of the pope in the right light. And now Vatican sources tell us that there is a new word on HIV/AIDS to expect, looking at it from a Christian perspective.  I hover between hope and despair waiting for this new paper.

I really would like to see a stop on all this navel gazing – how we can serve the people and make their life meaningful, that is the only question we should ask ourselves as members of or church, how we can open ourselves up to God’s spirit without always killing the breeze out of anxiety, stubbornness and a picture of God, which in reality is already outdated when we put it together. Then whoever and where ever God is, I believe that he/she is much more than we ever can think of. And for that, I am indeed grateful.

Serving in the field of HIV/AIDS would mean then to look anew at what sexuality constitutes, what sciences are telling us, how we have developed in the last 100 years. And from there to see how we can create a meaningful and responsible context for sexual activities which also matches the realities of us humans. Seeing how many young people world-wide are still dying we also have to reflect more on what life and death means and how we can learn to speak of a meaningful life, even if it is short. We have to put our view of a “successful” life on the test bench. HIV and AIDS has also to do with evolution, with a virus meeting a new host and being not able to co-exist in a way, other bacteria are living with us since ages.  The questions of justice and peace are also still not solved and I am sure the topic HIV and AIDS with all consequences could contribute immensely towards those questions.

So much to do… to reflect … to get down to business …

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

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