God, AIDS, Africa & HOPE

Reflections / Gedanken

09/15/2009 • 8:58 am Comments Off on 15.09.2009 15 days to go…

15.09.2009 15 days to go…

15 days still to go until I will commence my challenge – and after a weekend full of farewell celebrations the daily routine kicks in and I try to focus on finalizing stuff and at the same time preparing for the new portfolio. Now is an interesting time, still in the old job, but already with your thoughts starting to get used to the new one. Amazing 0r schizophrenia? 🙂

I am starting really to look forward to the new challenge, I compile already a list of what I wish to achieve in the first 6 months and preparing for my first overseas trip to Berlin, Wolfsburg, Munich, Berlin, Aachen, Frankfurt and Bitburg in the second half of October. After one year of not being able to plan it is a big relief for me exactly being able to do that. I normally only function well if I have a plan and I can set goals for myself what I want to achieve – and I do this normally for one year ahead.  In my work I am very goal orientated, ask my colleagues – for them it is sometimes very scary. Also that I try to think big – I firmly believe that only thinking big and maybe sometimes even that what seems to be impossible is the only way to achieve the maximum.

And I like to network, to exchange experience; but this seems to be very difficult here in South Africa between NGO’s.  It look to me, that there is no culture of trust but mistrust – everybody has fear to lose out a feather or a sponsor. On the other hand I have seen NGO’s  which in my opinion simply abusing an open hand and mind to gain benefits only for themselves. So at the end mostly either a wall of silence or abuse – such a pity. I am convinced that there is so much to do in this world and also in South Africa that we can join hands and cooperate in an honest way. Wishful thinking? I hope not…

Filed under: Reflection, Uncategorized, , ,

09/03/2009 • 10:44 pm Comments Off on 03.09.2009 imposed conditions?

03.09.2009 imposed conditions?

Controversial Priest Continues Working

Even though he is known for disagreeing with Catholic Church policies on AIDS and condoms, a German priest has been cleared to continue fighting the disease in Cape Town, South Africa. A spokesperson for Stefan Hippler’s home diocese in Trier, Germany, told Deutsche Presse-Agentur, “Despite his critical statements, Hippler has earned great achievements with his work.” (HIVPLUS Magazine)

Quite a lot of people asking me after reading such notices more or less frank whether the permission to stay and work in South Africa is connected to any conditions..   And here is the answer: No, there are no secretly imposed conditions.

There is only the agreement between me and the Bishop of Trier that we want to foster the cooperation between Europe and Africa, between Germany and South Africa, between the dioceses on both continents and the desire to develop a good pastoral care and a good theology regarding the topic HIV and AIDS. To bring Africa more in focus for the department of World Church Affairs in my home diocese of Trier and to work together with Justice & Peace as I do it already here in Cape Town – these should be fruits of my future work with HOPE Cape Town and the Catholic AIDS Network of the Archdiocese of Cape Town.

We both see the immense needs in the field of HIV and AIDS and we both have the desire that the church  indeed serves the people living with the HI virus as much as possible.

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

09/03/2009 • 2:51 am Comments Off on 03.September 2009 feeling humbled

03.September 2009 feeling humbled

The last two days were amazing days – so many emails, phone calls, text messages – I even did not know that so many people are following my “case” and were waiting after the cancellation of contract through the German Bishops Conference what will happen to me. Most seemed to have bid, that I will go back to Germany – others thought I will leave the church. Well, both thoughts were quite  real – real threats to my life, but thanks heaven a somehow happy end has been found.
Receiving all this positive messages, I feel indeed humbled and realise once again, what expectations people have. I personally never felt that I am doing something extraordinary but simply what was waiting along my way I picked up – and I had from the start marvellous people assisting in creating HOPE Cape Town. Living in South Africa creates other possibilities as somebody would have in Germany. But I believe that everybody has a chance to pick up a challenge along his way on earth and in doing so, change the course of this world and to assist and help people in need.

I am also a bit scared seeing the expectations of the HOPE Cape Town “family”. HOPE Cape Town is in the phase of restructuring because our possibilities and opportunities have grown so fast and big, that we have to look how to cope with all the workload. So we will add myself and a PA, a personal assistant to join HOPE Cape Town. Grass root work and research are at the ends of our working spectrum, and in between is quite a range of portfolios in need to be covered. Thanks God for the recent addition of Saadeka Williams as a full time HOPE doctor.

Also the Catholic Aids Network is in development. We had a meeting this morning as CAN has now to be registered as a NPO and PBO in South Africa in its own rights. So we met with a lawyer who is willing to do “pro bono” work and assist in getting the constitution right and the applications on the way.

With POZ, the working arm of HOPE Cape Town together with the Justice & Peace Commission of the Archdiocese of Cape Town, providing pastoral care for priests, religious and seminarians who are living with the HI virus, there is a whole new area where we have to gain expertise. Today we fixed also our meeting with the secretary of the Papal Council for health care worker in Rome; on the 18.10. we will have a meeting with the Bishop to discuss amongst other topics a possible working relationship in this field. I am very curious to see how they react in the Vatican for such a request of official support. But with or without the support, we have to face realities and we have to tackle them head on. Doing so we are also forced to look into our theology and develop our teaching accordingly. It is indeed a tricky field – but on the other hand: only tricky fields are a real challenge… 🙂

Well, it is time to go to bed – it is 2:46 am in the morning and at 6am a new working day is beginning.

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

08/31/2009 • 6:00 pm Comments Off on 31.08.2009 … believe it or not…

31.08.2009 … believe it or not…

White South African granted refugee status

Fri Aug 28, 11:07 PM

An Ottawa man has been granted refugee status after an immigration board panel ruled he would be likely be persecuted if he returned back to his native South Africa  because he is white.

A Canadian immigration and refugee board panel ruled Thursday that Brandon Huntley, 31, could stay in Canada because he presented “clear and convincing proof of the state’s inability or unwillingness to protect him.”

“I find that the claimant would stand out like a ‘sore thumb’ due to his colour in any part of the country,” tribunal panel chair William Davis said in his decision to grant Huntley refugee status.

It’s likely the first time a white South African has been granted refugee status in Canada claiming persecution from black South Africans, said Russell Kaplan, Huntley’s immigration lawyer.

“There’s a hatred of what we did to them and it’s all about the colour of your skin,” Huntley said of the violence wrought by black attackers on many white South Africans.

Huntley first came to Canada on a six-month work permit in 2004 to work as a carnival attendant. He returned home to South Africa and came back to work in Canada in 2005 for a year and stayed illegally for an additional year until he made a refugee claim in April 2008.

Growing up in Mowbray, a town near Cape Town, Huntley was attacked seven times  including three stabbings  by black South Africans during attempted robberies and muggings.

During these attacks, Huntley told the refugee board that he was called “a white dog” and “a settler,” a reference to South Africa’s colonial past based on racial apartheid.

“If you have got the money, you can protect yourself,” Huntley said of the armed security guards wealthy white South Africans hire to protect themselves.

Huntley’s “subjective fear of persecution remained constant and consistent” up to the time he made his refugee claim, Davis noted in his decision on Huntley’s claim.

The decision also took into account testimony by Laura Kaplan, 41, the sister of Huntley’s lawyer, who immigrated to Canada last year from her native South Africa.

Laura Kaplan testified about being threatened by armed black South Africans and the torture of her brother Robert in 1997 when a gang of black men broke into his house, tortured him for eight hours, shot him three times and left him for dead.

Davis said the evidence of Huntley and Laura Kaplan “show a picture of indifference and inability or unwillingness” of the South African government to protect “White South Africans from persecution by African South Africans.”

donna.casey@sunmedia.ca

Filed under: Uncategorized, , ,

08/27/2009 • 7:35 am Comments Off on 27.08.2009 Decisions

27.08.2009 Decisions

It is a beautiful morning, blue sky – seems to be a perfect day. Today, the consultors of the local Archbishop of Cape Town meet and amongst all the topics one can find also my future to be finally determined. So somehow it is an important day – and as it started perfectly I hope and expect it will go on like that..  :-).

I know that quite some candles are burning, some prayers are said – and I strongly believe in destiny – and I can sense and feel that my destiny is Africa. I want to live and to die here on this continent. Having lived in South Africa now for more than 12 years, I cannot deny the beauty of the county and the continent, as far as I have seen it. I also cannot deny the brutality of life and death, the immediateness of life, the beauty of nature, which leaves one breathless at times, the pride of people and tribes, which unfortunately has also its downsides by killing each other. Nevertheless, the thin layer of “First world culture”, we have in Europe, is missing – and you know what: Most times I appreciate this very much so. Africa is not the lost continent but the most promising one…

I never have been more happy and content as in South Africa, working here means to be able to make a real difference. Something, all the DIN-A-something norms in Europe make almost impossible. So I hope for a working and living future in South Africa and Africa and that I am able to make a difference in the lives of people living with the HI virus as I tried to do in the last years.

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

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