God, AIDS, Africa & HOPE

Reflections / Gedanken

12/21/2009 • 10:57 pm Comments Off on 21.12.2009 Preparation time…

21.12.2009 Preparation time…

Time to prepare for the Christmas day service today – it is always not easy to reflect on what Christmas may mean to the people attending the service on Christmas Day.  Every year is different – how it felt and how consequently Christmas is experienced. Like every year for the last 23 years I try to find a tone, that will bring the message of Christmas closer to the attending people. I hope that they are encouraged to let the love and the peace and the intimacy of this special birthday be part of their life; not only on the Christmas Day itself, but being carried over to the next days and month to come.
Then this is indeed the message of Christmas: that we are called to be in the likeness of God – everybody a little Jesus, when born – with all the possibilities and the vocation, to tell the story of God’s unconditional love within the respective life. As God has shared life with us, so we are called to share our life with him/her. That is obviously not that easy – daily life tells us most times another story – where love, sharing, peace, tolerance seems not to be a top priority because abused so many times.
And interesting enough is Christmas in many families also the time for bitter fights at the end of the day – because the pressure, to suddenly turn around the normal way of dealing with each other, is getting to big.  Christmas is for us Christian the culmination of our yearning for harmony in life – and we should train it during the year that it works also on those days.. :-).

Being the likeness of God – that is also a headline when it comes to dealing with our brothers and sisters who are carrying the HI virus with them.  They remain this picture of God – nothing is taken away from them through this virus. Therefore there should be no stigmatization or criminalization or discrimination within any Christian community. I guess, there is still much to do…  In this matter, Christmas acts as a reminder how much is still to do to free our society from the devil of stigmatization and all what comes with it.

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

12/20/2009 • 9:09 pm 2

20.12.2009 The Church’s Dilemma in the face of HIV and AIDS

An interesting article from Fr. Joseph,which I found on the net…

XVII INTERNATIONAL AIDS CONFERENCE 2008
ECUMENICAL PRE-CONFERENCE ON AIDS MEXICO CITY

Reflection on informed decision-making as a strategy for the church in the light of the HIV and AIDS Crisis

FR. JOSEPH MPINGANJIRA

‘And just to conclude, listen to these words: “over the pope as the expression of the binding claim of ecclesiastical authority, there still stands one’s own conscience, which must be obeyed before all else, even if necessary against the requirement of ecclesiastical authority. This emphasis on the individual, whose conscience confronts him with a supreme and ultimate tribunal, and one which in the last resort is beyond the claim of external social groups.” These were words by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, the present Pope Benedict XVI, expressing very clearly what it means to say that conscience is the highest moral authority’. Christians in Africa have come to identify with the Church more when the church leaders and institutions talk about issues affecting them in their day-to-day life and when they (church leaders and institutions) become engaged in real life questions. Nobody can deny that HIV and AIDS is a world crisis, more so in my continent of Africa, south of the Sahara, my home region. It is a crisis in my country and painfully so, a crisis in my family. As a priest I have personally come face to face with this crisis losing two sisters, a brother, three nephews and four nieces. I have lost friends and people I have dearly served as a priest. These have left children some of whom I know are HIV positive. I still have so many relatives and friends. Some of them are aware that they are HIV positive, some are aware that they are HIV negative and some are HIV (status) ignorant. Most of these are faithful to each other as couples. Some of them are abstaining. As a priest and a friend I encourage them to do so because these principles offer the surest possible protection against HIV infection, even if their attainment seems difficult. But there is another reality that the church ought to face. The response to the epidemic has sometimes been compromised with moral issues. When it comes to the pastoral response to this crisis the church ought to come to terms with the reality. The fight against HIV and AIDS should be approached as a whole, namely, the care, treatment as well as prevention. There is already a lot that the church is doing in terms of care and treatment. As a priest from Malawi, Africa, I believe that each individual as created by God has a right to care, to treatment and the right to prevent oneself. I also believe that each individual has the right to information on HIV and AIDS, information on care, treatment as well as information on prevention on the same and thereby come up with well-informed decision. When it comes to prevention it is not a hidden truth that all the known three, namely, Abstinence, Be faithful and Condom (ABC) are there and working. The fact that we in the church circles advocate for the A and B does not necessarily mean that the C does not work. It does. It becomes easier for some ‘good’ Theologians sitting in big conferences discussing these issues and condemn the C.
In the years leading up to 2005 The Episcopal Conference Malawi discussed sensitively about the problem. In general, they tend to recognize the importance and legitimacy of sexual activity for a discordant couple. They have also brought out the importance of safeguarding the health of one’s partner in marriage, underscoring that marriage does not give one the right to endanger the health of a spouse in any way. But what they have even stressed most is that conscience is the ultimate moral rule and that the couple must act on the basis of what their conscience tells them is correct in their circumstances. This message was put in their (Bishops’) documents that were presented for the Ad Limina visit at the Vatican in 2005. No clear response as a guiding principle was given to them except the teaching of Humanea Vitae (especially § 14). From the Ad Limina visit, like the case before the visit, each Bishop has gone back and presents his own message to the people he is shepherding. Double messages have sometimes been sent thereby confusing people. In some cases some leaders have opted to remain silent on some ways of preventing or controlling HIV and AIDS but have expected an end of the pandemic.
The truth of the matter is that HIV and AIDS has not brought about a sense of immorality, but has rather highlighted existing moral challenges in within our society. The crisis has highlighted cultural practices that churches ought to address. Other issues are: the frequency of multiple partnerships, psychological and financial coercion to have sexual intercourse, the early sexual activity of the young and lack of proper sexuality education, the prevalence of sexual violence by intimate partner, etc. As a pastor doing my pastoral duties in a parish I see these issues differently. I am aware that there is a ‘law’ (teaching) in the church which says ‘no to use of condom’. I am also aware that I am a pastor who has been sent there not to break the ‘law’, but as a pastor I will sometimes do what Jesus did in Mark 3:1-6, namely to ‘break the law’ for the sake of letting some brothers and sisters out there ‘live their life to the full’. The use of C for discordant couples, for instance, is a method that has to be openly taught as a way to prevent oneself; it is a way that I will share with my sisters, my brothers, etc, so that some of them ‘may have life’. If as a pastor I cannot remove the pain from these poor ones of Yahweh, then the least I can do is never to add a gram of pain to their conscience by insisting on the wholesale condemnation to the use of Condoms with contradicting messages.
Moral discussions on the use of condom and other contraceptives as taught in the Humanae Vitae should not be confused with the use of condom in the above case. The teaching of Humanae Vitae based on the intention of God in procreation is not to be applied in the situation of HIV and AIDS. It is not a question of: when to have sex or not but rather life or death (in some instances). In other words, old answers are no longer relevant for the new questions that we have today in the face on HIV and AIDS pandemic. I am aware that some parents and religious leaders have expressed the fear that the discussion of how HIV transmission can be prevented, risk-reducing factors and similar matters with the inclusion of the C might provoke among people the very sexual behaviour that the church seeks to check. This could indeed happen if the information being provided is not positive and prudent. But it would be equally unethical to deny people the desirable alternatives of abstinence and fidelity or indeed deny people information on measures that would protect them against possible HIV infection. A couple where both are HIV negative will not sit in the house and say, “My wife there is HIV out there. We must be careful. We must use condoms to protect ourselves.” NO! What they will say is, “My wife there is HIV out there. We must be careful. We must be faithful to one another.” On the other hand a couple where one is (or both are) HIV positive, will sit and say, “My wife I am (or we are) HIV positive, let us prevent each other. Let’s use a condom. Should I not share this information (for a well-informed decision) with a clear conscience with the people I pray with, the people I serve in the church that I call mine? Many priests and other church leaders that I work with believe that Conscience is an issue of special relevance to the ethical challenges that the AIDS pandemic raises in relation to sexuality.
The Catholic Catechism teaches that conscience must be informed and moral judgement enlightened (1783). It does not stress the teaching role of the church in the formation of conscience but asserts, “In the formation of conscience the Word of God is the light for our path” (1785). “The Word of God is a light for our path. We must assimilate it in faith and prayer, and put it into practice. This is how our conscience is formed” (1802). And how many times have nuns, who are doing a very wonderful job in so many of our clinics, helped patients and clients and at the end have told these patients and clients that they (nuns and their institutions) are not allowed to give out condoms but that they go to the next institution where they can get them. All this points to the gap between policy and practice with regard to informed decision-making. Faced with a moral choice, conscience can make either a right judgement in accordance with reason and the divine law or, on the contrary, an erroneous judgement that departs from them (1799). Nevertheless, a human being must always obey the certain judgement of his conscience (1800). This has been true before HIV and AIDS came and will be true after pandemic is gone. And just to conclude, listen to these words: “over the pope as the expression of the binding claim of ecclesiastical authority, there still stands one’s own conscience, which must be obeyed before all else, even if necessary against the requirement of ecclesiastical authority. This emphasis on the individual, whose conscience confronts him with a supreme and ultimate tribunal, and one which in the last resort is beyond the claim of external social groups.” These were words by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, the present Pope Benedict XVI, expressing very clearly what it means to say that conscience is the highest moral authority.
Statements for discussion Ecumenical pre-conference workshop informed decision-making
1) The gap between policy and practice with regard to informed decision-making isn’t a problem as in daily practice (health) people practice – informed decision making-
2) While the church is “a champion” in care and cure it is can be an obstacle in prevention.
3) Informed decision-making is the solution for the Church dilemma’s in prevention.

Joseph J. Mpinganjira

Diocese of Lilongwe,

P. O. Box 631, Lilongwe, Malawi

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

11/06/2009 • 12:56 pm Comments Off on 06.11.2009 What does the church say about HIV and AIDS?

06.11.2009 What does the church say about HIV and AIDS?

by Kenneth R. Overberg S.J. (from the website NCAN) – an indeed interesting article summarizing the stand of the church. Written some years ago and published on the NCAN website, an Catholic organisation in the USA which ceased in 2007.

A frequently asked question is: What does the Catholic Church say about AIDS? (Although the church is the whole people of God, the question usually means the Pope and bishops.) Other questions often stand behind this one: Is AIDS a form of God’s punishment? How should I respond to my child who is HIV positive? Besides suffering from AIDS, why do I suffer so much prejudice and rejection, even from other members of the Church? Can we do anything about this world-wide epidemic?  The Church, in fact, has spoken clearly and powerfully about HIV/AIDS. Based on the Bible and on the Church’s long tradition and especially on the life of Jesus, the Church’s teachings have stressed 1) the value and dignity of every person, 2) the rights and responsibilities of society, 3) the love and compassion of God.

Where do these points, each deserving special attention, come from? Many national conferences of bishops have issued statements concerning HIV/AIDS. In the United States, the Administrative Board of the U.S. Catholic Conference published The Many Faces of AIDS: A Gospel Response in 1987. The whole National Conference of Catholic Bishops published Called to Compassion and Responsibility: A Response to the HIV/AIDS Crisis in 1989. Since then individual bishops or groups of bishops have addressed their people. Similarly, Pope John Paul II has regularly spoken about HIV/AIDS, either at AIDS conferences or during his visits to nations, especially those suffering from AIDS in a critical way. (Most of these statements can be found in Origins, the CNS documentary service published weekly.)

Human Dignity

Let’s first listen to several excerpts from the bishops’ statements. “Made in God’s image and likeness, every human person is of inestimable worth. All human life is sacred, and its dignity must be respected and protected” (The Many Faces of AIDS). “The Gospel demands reverence for life in all circumstances” (Bishop John Ricard, 1994). “Discrimination and violence against persons with AIDS and with HIV infection are unjust and immoral” (Called to Compassion and Responsibility). “The necessary prevention against the AIDS threat is not to be found in fear, but rather in the conscious choice of a healthy, free and responsible lifestyle” (Pope John Paul II to a Vatican AIDS conference, 1989). The message is clear: every human being is created in God’s image, redeemed by Jesus, and called to everlasting life. Accordingly, all persons have worth and dignity, rooted simply in who they are (and not in what they do or achieve). This conviction about the preciousness of every life grounds the Church’s teachings about HIV/AIDS.  People living with HIV/AIDS face discrimination which is dehumanizing and suffering which strips the person’s sense of worth and dignity. Of course, this worth also needs to be cherished and protected by all of us, by individuals and organizations, especially the Church. All forms of discrimination are wrong, whether in housing, jobs, insurance, health care, or religion. Long sections of The Many Faces of AIDS and Called to Compassion and Responsibility consider these issues in detail.  Because we are sacred and precious, all of us are called to live in ways that embody and express this dignity. There is, then, a serious call to personal responsibility and to personal behavior change. In the context of the AIDS epidemic, we all need to affirm healthy relationships rooted in trust, honesty, and respect. HIV/AIDS touches upon the issues of sexuality and sexual orientation, substance abuse and addictions, often in a context of poverty, racism, and sexism. The Church’s statements remind HIV-infected persons of their grave moral responsibility not to expose others to the virus. All people are encouraged to respect the dignity of others, both in their personal feelings and interactions and in the structures of society.

Solidarity

The Church’s teachings speak extensively about the rights and responsibilities of society. “As members of the Church and society, we have a responsibility to stand in solidarity with and reach out with compassion and understanding to those exposed to or experiencing this disease. We must provide spiritual and pastoral care as well as medical and social services for them and support for their families and friends” (The Many Faces of AIDS).  “A comprehensive AIDS education then has to: place AIDS within a moral context; impart accurate medical information and challenge misinformation; motivate individuals to accept the responsibility for personal choices and actions; confront discrimination and foster the kind of compassion which Jesus showed to others; model justice and compassion through policies and procedures” (New Mexico Bishops, 1990). “As far as HIV is concerned, moreover, social responsibility has an important international dimension” (Called to Compassion and Responsibility). “AIDS has by far many more profound repercussions of a moral, social, economic, juridical and structural nature, not only on individual families and in neighborhood communities, but also on nations and on the entire community of peoples” (Pope John Paul II to a Vatican AIDS conference, 1989).

The variety of these quotations highlight the complexity of this section. Solidarity leads to immediate care, to education, and to changing social structures.

Following the example of Jesus, the Church has long cared for the sick. The global spread of HIV/AIDS and the serious suffering that marks this disease challenged and renewed this ministry, especially in developing countries where health care resources are so severely limited. Hospitals with special care for persons with AIDS, hospices, caring for children who have been orphaned by AIDS, providing sensitive pastoral care: these and other steps have been urged and promised in the Church’s teachings. All of us can contribute with some form of direct care through parishes or local HIV/AIDS agencies: support groups, transportation, child care, meal programs–or at least we can support those who can do this.

Since prevention is still imperative, education must play a pivotal role in responding to HIV/AIDS. As the quotation from the New Mexico bishops indicates, a comprehensive program would include a variety of essential elements. Implementing such a program in parishes and schools would be challenging but is a fitting response to the bishops’ frequent call for clear understanding. Solidarity signifies our connection with our sisters and brothers around the world–and so raises the need for social justice. As the US bishops pointed out already in 1989, “It is of critical importance to recognize the shift of the disease to economically disadvantaged populations.” It has only become worse since then. Poverty, oppression, alienation, and marginalization provide the perfect breeding ground for HIV/AIDS. Being poor and female particularly puts a person at risk. So, along with personal behavior change there is the overwhelming need for systemic change, for confronting and reducing racism, sexism, and classism. Recent developments in treatments using “combination” therapies have had many positive results. The great majority of HIV-infected persons in the world, however, have no access to basic health care, much less to these therapies. The success in the United States must not numb us to the devastation that HIV/AIDS is having on women, men, and children throughout the world. The long tradition of Catholic social teachings helps us address the economic, political, and social structures which profoundly impact these lives. Concrete action is possible both locally and globally, and certainly is called for by the teachings of the Church.

Grace

Everything the Church has said about HIV/AIDS has been stated in the context of faith and trust in a good and gracious God. “While preaching a Gospel of compassion and conversion, Jesus also proclaimed to those most in need the Good News of forgiveness. The father in the parable of the prodigal son did not wait for his son to come to him. Rather, he took the initiative and ran out to his son with generosity, forgiveness, and compassion” (The Many Faces of AIDS). “The love of God is so great that it goes beyond the limits of human language, beyond the grasp of artistic expression, beyond human understanding . . . . [God] loves us all with an unconditional and everlasting love” (Pope John Paul II as quoted in Called to Compassion and Responsibility).  “The cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ shed light on the true meaning and value of human suffering. The Lord invites everyone to join him on the road to Calvary and to share in the joy of Easter” (Pope John Paul II to those in St. Francis Hospital, Uganda, 1993). “The threat of AIDS now confronts our generations with the end of earthly life in a manner which is all the more overwhelming because it is linked, directly or indirectly, to the transmission of life and love . . . . It is all part of the difficult problem of the meaning of suffering and of the value of all life, even when it is damaged or weakened” (Pope John Paul II to the bishops of Burundi, 1990). The various Church statements about HIV/AIDS always affirm the love and compassion of God. Jesus has revealed a God who loves each of us unconditionally, a God who forgives our sinful actions. God is not vengeful. God respects human freedom, calling us to love and responsibility, but not interfering even with destructive choices. HIV/AIDS is a human illness not a punishment from God. The statements are very clear about these points. HIV/AIDS causes great suffering and death. And so the Church teachings address this sober reality, helping people to stand before the mystery of suffering and to realize that even here God’s tender mercies can be experienced. The teachings neither downplay the immensity of the suffering nor promote a passive acceptance. Rather the teachings urge all Christians to model their lives after Jesus, trusting in God, bringing comfort to those in need, and confronting oppressive structures and situations.

Continuing Tensions

Not surprisingly, these teachings have met with debate and disagreement, especially in three areas: 1) the understanding of human sexuality, 2) strategies for prevention, 3) social justice.

  1. Long before HIV/AIDS was identified, the Church’s teachings about heterosexuality and homosexuality had been questioned. The continued emphasis on holding together the procreative and unitive dimensions of sexual intercourse only in the context of marriage receives little support from cultures that trivialize sexuality. (It is estimated that by the year 2000 80 percent of HIV infections worldwide will be caused by heterosexual intercourse.) Presently, some enlightened discussion, such as the US bishops’ pastoral message “Always Our Children,” and many heated exchanges also swirl around the issue of homosexuality.
  2. Many people working for the prevention of the spread of HIV recommend both the use of condoms and needle-exchange programs. The Church’s teachings have not supported these practices, arguing that they send the wrong message about sex and drugs and may ultimately lead to the increased spread of HIV. The statements recommend education and treatment aimed at changing behavior. One exception to this teaching was a statement by the Social Commission of the French Bishops’ Conference in 1996. In a very limited and nuanced way, the statement acknowledges that the use of condoms to prevent the spread of HIV may be necessary.
  3. The Church’s social teachings had also been rejected by many people long before AIDS. Economic, political, and social powers do not easily yield to Gospel values. As we saw in the earlier section on solidarity, however, economic justice and the end of violent oppression are urgently needed to slow the spread of HIV/AIDS. As the debates continue, so do the deaths and suffering from AIDS, particularly in the developing countries. HIV/AIDS may rarely make the headlines these days, but it continues to devastate the lives of individuals, families, and communities. In this context our Church calls us to live and act as informed citizens and faithful disciples. “The crisis continues, but it can be met with understanding, justice, reason and deep faith” (Called to Compassion and Responsibility).

Kenneth R. Overberg, S.J., is a professor of theology at Xavier University in Cincinnati. He is author of “AIDS, Ethics and Religion” (Orbis Books) and “AIDS: A Worsening Crisis Challenges Church and Society” in Catholic Update, January 1993, and “AIDS, Leprosy, and the Bible” in Scripture from Scratch, October 1998 (both from St. Anthony Messenger Press). The following article was first printed in The Mirror, the Catholic paper of Springfield-Cape Girardeau, MO.

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

11/05/2009 • 6:00 am Comments Off on 05.11.2009 Theological conflicts are possible

05.11.2009 Theological conflicts are possible

Theological conflicts are possible, so Pope Benedict XVI in his sermon yesterday and he acknowledged, while theology wants to spark love towards God, there can be a different approach which can lead to conflict and dispute.

I am happy to hear such sentences, as I always have the feeling that the culture of debate is very underdeveloped in our church. Anxiety is a permanent threat accompanying hierarchical systems because everybody is anxious not to draw negative attention of superiors and even destroy the changes to climb up the career ladder.

The pope took the example of Bernhard de Clairvaux and Pierre Abelard who argued heavily in the 12th century about the secret of the revelation. He emphasised that the common grounds of both have been their intention to keep up the love, truth and faith which should be a basic rule to assume when two theologian argue with each other.

Lets hope that this all applies also for the topic of HIV and AIDS within the church.

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

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