God, AIDS, Africa & HOPE

Reflections / Gedanken

11/05/2010 • 11:24 am Comments Off on 04.11.2010 TUM

04.11.2010 TUM

The workshop in Munich was excellent – lots of interesting information and the first ideas how to get the partnership between HOPE Cape Town,  Technical University Munich and the University of Stellenbosch going in the fields of HIV and sports. If everything is going well, we are planing to involve the community of Manenberg in a mentors programme and also try to get a project running which would see people living with HIV running the Two Ocean Marathon. But as always all needs a proper structure and some money. But i am hopeful that we succeed in launching both projects sooner than later.

This morning a talk with a representative of the Katholische Buero in Munich. We discuss the possible involvement of the Freisinger Bishops Conference in the partnership between Bavaria and the Western Cape.
Luncheon with my book agent to discuss possible new projects before heading to the University again to reflect on the workshop yesterday with the dean of sports sciences, Prof. Beckmann.

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

10/18/2010 • 11:46 pm Comments Off on Sic tacuisses: AIDS = Justice – Belgian Catholic Archbishop of Brussels claims

Sic tacuisses: AIDS = Justice – Belgian Catholic Archbishop of Brussels claims

The Catholic Church in Belgium has been battered by scandals and missteps over the past year, and now its new leader, the conservative Archbishop André-Joseph Léonard of Brussels, has sparked a fresh controversy with comments declaring that people afflicted with AIDS are receiving “a sort of immanent justice” for their sexual practices.
Léonard, who Pope Benedict XVI appointed this year to replace a much-loved liberal, Cardinal Godfried Danneels, compared the suffering of AIDS victims to human-caused degradation of the environment, for which people themselves then pay the price.
“Maybe human love also responds when she is treated badly, without the need of a transcendent source,” Léonard said in a just-published book of interviews he gave to two Belgian journalists over the past few years. “Badly handling physical nature causes it to treat us badly in turn, and badly dealing with the deeper nature of human love will ultimately always lead to catastrophes on all levels.”

The reaction against Léonard’s comments has been swift and sharp.

Belgian parliamentarians have called the archbishop’s statements “disgusting” and “stupid,” and some are calling for the government to re-examine the favorable tax status of the Catholic Church, which receives hefty government subsidies.
Even conservative Christian Democratic party leaders expressed outrage. Léonard’s words “strike me speechless. For Jesus there were no justified illnesses,” said parliamentarian Mia De Schamphelaere, according to a National Catholic Reporter story.
Such official condemnation comes at a difficult time for the Belgian church, which is engaged in a tug-of-war with government investigators who have seized documents in a probe of clergy abuse of children going back decades.
Léonard’s comments are also not winning him or the institutional church many points with Catholics themselves, who are increasingly indifferent to their religion, as is the case in many European countries.
The clergy scandals have shocked Belgians, with revelations of at least 475 victims over the decades, 13 of whom committed suicide. The reports brought down the country’s longest-serving bishop, Roger Vangheluwe, and even tarnished the legacy of Cardinal Danneels, whose negotiations with an abuse victim were surreptitiously recorded and released, portraying him in a harsh light.

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

10/10/2010 • 4:01 pm Comments Off on 10.10.2010 Durban Airport

10.10.2010 Durban Airport

Durban Airport – waiting for my flight back to Cape Town. Like usual it was a filled Sunday with the service of the German-speaking Catholic Community Durban at 10 am. A full church and a very good atmosphere to pray and to contemplate the gospel of today. It felt simply good to be back after one year. After the service as usual meeting with the people, coffee and cake and lots of chats and exchange. The place in front of the Marimba Hall is packed with people, all in lively chats and discussion. That’s how I imagine communities abroad where the service is also a space to meet and greet and share.

Afterwards then to the Oktoberfest in the German Club – from the Hell Angels to the nuns, all are there, enjoying the Humpa Band and Eisbein and Schnitzel and a good beer in the heat of Durban. Also here lively chatter around every table. It is quiet different from Cape Town, where people come and go while in Durban, most are here for the last 20, 30 years and one knows each other. And in the midst Sr. Agnes, well know to all churchgoers as well as those who have not found the way to church yet. 🙂

Back at the airport time still to answer email and to write this block before Cape Town is calling again and a full week is ahead…

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

10/09/2010 • 10:22 pm Comments Off on 09.10.2010 Durban

09.10.2010 Durban

After one year Durban again.. the airport is new, the faces of the German-speaking Catholic Community are in the same way familiar and friendly. A talk about the current issues in the church. We talk about the dialogue of the Vatican with the ultra conservative quarters of the Pius brothers which also is causing division amongst ordinary Christians. While it seems that the intention to withdraw the excommunication was meant a welcoming act, the consequences are not that welcomed by many people. Instead of dialogue the right-wing Christian media specially of the internet launches one attack after the other – there is not much sympathy for those behaving like a fundamentalist Christian militia.
Ecumenical questions were another topic – and here it seems that meanwhile there is almost no understanding amongst the interested laity that our church still struggles with the topics of divorce or women ordination and certain question of sexuality. People seemed to have withdrawn a long time ago from the official stance of the church and I guess it is of critical importance that the church is listening to the frustration of the faithful and their practical decisions, made as a consequence of their conscience.
The child abuse cases were another topic and as much as there is no understanding for paedophile priests in active service, it was interesting for me to hear that there is a feeling that even after all the actions of bishops conferences there is still the feeling that too many of the hierarchy are still sitting in positions they should have left as a sign of responsibility. For many people, an apology is not enough. This German scandal, after the US and Ireland has indeed caused a major rift between the institution church and the faithful.
We have still a lot to work on before we can gain the trust again, we need to proclaim the gospel in fulness.

And as so often it is us, the ordinary priests, who have to defend actions, we ourself are seeing with a critical view. Sometimes it is difficult to be honest and loyal at the same time. All the happenings of the last month do certainly not help at all.

Filed under: Reflection, , , , ,

09/15/2010 • 5:11 pm 1

15.09.2010 Talking about time

Talking about time as I did in the last blog – once again time is faster flying than I can keep up with it.
The weekend saw me serving the Catholic Community in Belhar with a very interesting family mass on the Sunday morning. Preparation for the HOPE Cape Town management meeting and a talk, given to readers of “Die Zeit” , a German weekly newspaper, who were on a trip through South Africa. It is always interesting for me to hear opinions and different perspectives to our situation here in South Africa and to learn a lot about how our country is perceived in the first world.
HOPE Cape Town Management meeting yesterday with lots to discuss at senior level. Such a project is developing also in a rapid way and we have to be creative to keep on going in a way serving the communities. From an afternoon with management then directly to Brooklyn Holy Cross Primary School where we celebrated the Feast of the Cross with the school community.
This morning POZ meeting: the working group trying to put up a pastoral care structure for HIV positive priests and religious is battling a bit with the concepts some people of the church hierarchy have. It is not easy to find a way to serve those infected and affected in a sensitive and meaningful way if there is so much fear and phobia within the church tackling the pandemic within our own ranks. Fr Wim and myself had meetings in Rome about the subject in May this year and we intended to be back with first positive steps in November this year, but unfortunately it will take more time. So I canceled yesterday the Rome leg of the trip end of next month in the hope, that next year sees more results.

Making progress in sensitive matters within our church can be quite an issue; and it is not that people would not see the urgency of matters, but the apprehensibility in some quarters of our church makes it at times very difficult. On the other hand: we know that we are as the church moving: slavery, human rights, democracy – the latter have been directly from hell some time ago but today we are the champions when it comes to advocate them for others.
I ask myself whether we are so much different from other organizations – and I guess: no.

Well: Never give up was one of the favorite songs of our first HOPE Community Health Workers and I think, that is a good motto for the days and weeks to come.

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

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