African Conference Commits Anglican Churches to All-out Struggle Against AIDS
Episcopal News Service. August 24, 2001 [2001-227]
James Solheim
(ENS) The first-ever All Africa Conference on HIV/AIDS ended August 16 with a clarion call for Anglican churches to commit themselves to an all-out war against the pandemic that is destroying the fabric of societies and nations in the sub-Saharan part of the continent.
"A silence has been broken and a first step is now in place for the Anglican Communion in Africa to make it absolutely clear that we are willing to do all in our power to bring the hope of a generation without AIDS to reality," said Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane of Cape Town, primate of the church in Southern Africa, at a closing press conference at Boksburg Conference Center near Johannesburg.
His comments were echoed by his colleague, Archbishop Peter Akinola of Nigeria, who said that the church has been denying the reality of the AIDS but that the four-day conference, attended by over 130 delegates from 34 countries--including church, business and government leaders--had changed that situation.
At the close of the conference, the Anglican primates endorsed an action plan, "Our Vision, Our Hope," that confessed "sins of judgement, ignorance, silence, indifference and denial" but then called for change. "As the body of Christ, confronted by a disaster unprecedented in human history, we share the pain of all who suffer as a result of AIDS. Faced by this crisis, we hear God's call to be transformed," the plan said.
That transformation, according to the statement, means a deep commitment to education, "confronting poverty, conflict and gender inequalities, ending stigma and judgment and holding ourselves accountable before God and the world."
Stigma is a sin
In addressing one of the more difficult questions, the statement was blunt: "Stigma is a denial that we are created in the image of God. It destroys self-esteem, decimates families, disrupts communities and annihilates hope for future generations," and should be confronted "as a sin."
The statement called for pastoral care and counseling for those who are living with the disease but also stressed prevention. "Out of love for our children, one another and our communities, we commit to speak openly and with moral authority about responsible sexual behavior, and to support one another, embracing and adopting behaviors that avoid the transmission of HIV." And it called for more deliberate leadership, asserting that "silence permits inaction and is the breeding ground of stigma. We call for bold, compassionate community and institutional leadership at every level, to prevent infection and care for the ill and dying."
At a closing worship service, Ndungane said, "Some found AIDS more tolerable when it was considered a homosexual disease, or indeed a black person's disease. The scene has changed. Frankly, our lack of action, our prejudice, our indifference places a sentence on those we have chosen to ignore or wish would go away. Our abuse of scripture and authority in these matters is shameful."
Somber opening
In welcoming the participants, Ndungane set a somber tone, reminding them that the United Nations had just declared HIV/AIDS a "global emergency" and reported that 75 percent of those infected, a total of at least 25 million people, live in sub-Saharan Africa. Over 17 million have died already.
Speaking for the South African government, Deputy President Jacob Zuma said that an increase in awareness "has not been matched by change in attitudes and adoption of responsible sexual practices conducive for the reduction of the infection rates." He said that the government's prevention strategy is based on "ABC," abstinence, being faithful to one's partner, and using condoms.
It is time to "use the networks that already exist as a basis to inform our communities about prevention and fighting stigma," argued Graca Machel, wife of former president Nelson Mandela, in her address to the conference. She dealt with issues such as the vulnerability of women and youth, the role of poverty, and the need to shift thinking to look past the horrendous statistics to real people. "Every time you hear a figure or a number, you should imagine a face behind that number," she said.
Priest's testimony
The Rev. Gideon Byamugisha, a Ugandan priest who is living with AIDS, added a powerful dose of reality to the conference. In one parish he served, people refused to come to the Eucharist if he were the celebrant. Other clergy tried to deny him the right to speak, saying "you have no testimony."
AIDS is "not just a disease, but a symptom of so many things that have gone wrong. We prefer to locate the things that go wrong in sexual acts, but I think it is a wider spectrum in society, economics and politics," said Byamugisha. He criticized South Africa's ABC program as "simplistic, stigmatizing and misleading," pointing out that "61 percent of all African women living with HIV/AIDS have been in a faithful, monogamous relationship." For him testing is key, modifying sexual behavior is essential and those who are infected must pledge "never to infect anyone else."
The health clinic he supervises in Uganda is named for Archbishop of Canterbury George L. Carey who dedicated the facility during a 1998 visit to the country. Carey said that Gyamugisha " was the first church leader in Africa to come and declare he had AIDS. He gave others permission to speak about it."
Ndungane told the conference that Gyamugisha's testimony at the recent Primates' Meeting had moved them to make AIDS a priority and endorse the African meeting.
In his homily at the closing Eucharist, Ndungane said the "cries at the beginning of the conference" over a plan of action had been partially answered. "Our campaign for a generation free of AIDS must take the form of a marathon run. There may be hurdles, yes, but stamina, tolerance and understanding will lead us on to our goal."
A partnership of trust will be crucial, he added, if hope is to be reborn. Among the stakeholders present at the conference were Christian AID from Britain, Episcopal Relief and Development, the Mothers Union, Compass Rose Society, United Nations Agency for International Development, Tearfund, Africa Alive, LoveLife, USPG, World Bank and the Anglican Church of Canada.
Coordinator of the conference was the Rev. Ted Karpf, who recently joined Ndungane's staff as missioner with a portfolio for AIDS ministry.