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The Lutheran World Federation
Lutheran World Information |
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| 07.05.2002 |
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| LWF Global Campaign against HIV/AIDS Launched |
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Pan-African Lutheran Church Leaders Committed to “Breaking the Silence”
NAIROBI, Kenya/GENEVA, 7 May 2002 (LWI) – A Global Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Campaign against HIV/AIDS was officially launched May 6 in the Kenyan capital Nairobi.
The campaign process, inaugurated at the conclusion of a five-day Pan-African Lutheran church leadership consultation on the challenges of HIV/AIDS, recognized commitments by church leadersbishops, presidents, women and youthto break the silence on the disease.
“Silence and all forms of myths about the reality of HIV/AIDS amount to an affront of what God has achieved for us in Christ,” LWF General Secretary, Rev. Dr. Ishmael Noko told church leaders representing the 27 LWF member churches in Africa.
The launching of a global LWF campaign against HIV/AIDS was requested by the LWF Council at its June 2001 meeting. A January 2002 LWF Action Plan “Compassion, Conversion, Care” responding to the pandemic, aims to engage LWF member churches in open discussion about HIV/AIDS, and in so doing promote their active and courageous response. The plan, presented during the pan-African consultation also focuses on providing support and financial resources to ensure effective response.
Noko lauded Africa’s Lutheran church leadership for having collectively taken a historic step by committing churches to a process of seeking solutions that look beyond the capacity of “our cultures” as well as those of the “theological traditions of our churches.”
The commitments include confession and acknowledgment that although the churches are currently engaged in providing care and support, the church leadership has too often contributed to stigmatization and discrimination, and churches have not always been safe or welcome places for people living with or affected by HIV/AIDS. In some cases Holy Communion has been refused to people living with HIV/AIDS, and funerals of people having died from AIDS related illnesses have been denied.
The commitments “lead us to prioritize life,” Noko noted as he stressed the need to open “our churches, homes, institutions and hearts, and to create opportunities to and for all those living with HIV/AIDS.”
A commitment to make churches healing communities through prayer and action underlines the need to stop all forms of condemnation and rejection and instead create an environment of openness and acceptance. Pastors and lay leaders would be encouraged to speak openly about HIV/AIDS, and be role models by respecting the dignity and place of every individual in the community.
The church representatives committed themselves to prioritizing education and to finding ways and means to educate themselves and others in the church and community about HIV/AIDS. They will affirm the dignity of women and men through teaching about human sexuality and relationships, about love and mutual respect.
Emphasizing the need to turn stigma and discrimination into care and counseling for those living with HIV/AIDS, the church leaders pledged to encourage and support voluntary testing for the HIV virus, and support those who test positive in living a full quality of life as part of the community. The church representatives said they would “strongly condemn sexual abuse” and expressed “full solidarity” with all victims of such violation. They committed themselves to finding ways to care for AIDS orphans, child-headed households and widows.
On prevention, the church leaders said they would examine attitudes and behavior that could “cause harm to our neighbor in light of Lutheran ethics.” Also, they would speak the truth about the spread of HIV/AIDS and would “not stand in the way of the use of effective methods of prevention.”
Developing theological understanding of the HIV/AIDS challenges is a major concern for the church leaders. They would specifically deal with the problem of stigma and discrimination as an issue of social justice. Also, they would ensure that HIV/AIDS issues are adequately and contextually included in the curricula for theological education and in lay leaders training and continuing education. Relevant educational material would be developed for Sunday schools, confirmation classes, church schools and other church institutions.
On advocacy work, the church representatives said they would push for accessible and affordable anti-retrovirals and opportunistic infections drugs, and would ensure that church infrastructure and resources are available to provide medical support and treatment. They committed their churches to fight for just labor practices, access to housing and education, and the eradication of traditional or modern harmful practices.
There are other factors that contribute to the further spread of HIV/AIDS. The African church leaders resolved to fight corruption and hold their governments accountable for just distribution of national and global resources as all this contributes to increased poverty and further spread of HIV/AIDS.
The consultation was organized by the LWF Department for Mission and Development and included participants from Asia, Europe, Latin and North America. It was hosted by the Kenya Evangelical Lutheran Church and Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya. LWF churches in Africa have a total membership of more than 10.5 million.
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