WCC: Fighting AIDS – an appeal to the churches

(Vatican Radio) “God of life, lead us to justice and peace” is the theme of the World Council of Churches 10^th Assembly taking place in Busan, Korea this week. But how are Christians around the world putting that slogan into practice? In particular, how are they responding to the ongoing challenge of the HIV-AIDS epidemic, that continues to target the poorest and most marginalized in our societies? As PH reports, that was one of the subjects under the spotlight as the head of UNAIDS addressed participants at this 10 day encounter:
Michel Sidibé, from Mali, is a man with a threefold mission. To eliminate new infections from the HIV virus. To eliminate AIDS related deaths. And to stamp out discrimination of those living with the once deadly disease.
As executive director of the UNAIDS, he’s already seen some pretty impressive results. A decade ago, his agency declared its intention to deliver life-saving drugs to the poorest places in Africa. The idea was denounced as an impossible dream, with anti-retroviral medicines costing up to 15.000 dollars per person per year. Furthermore it was believed that people in poverty would never be able to access, understand or use the drugs in the proper way. Well, today there are 10 million HIV positive people on treatment, which costs around 80 dollars a year. Better still, the goal of targeting pregnant mothers to make sure that no more babies are born with the virus is on track to become a reality by the end of 2015. The creative and holistic programmes of Caritas Internationalis have been an important part of this achievement.
Ten years ago, only two countries, Uganda and Thailand had managed to reduce the numbers of new HIV infections. Today 56 countries around the world are seeing infection rates declining – and according to Sidibé, these achievements are also thanks to the different Christian churches that have put AIDS ministry as a high priority in their justice and peace work. Thanks to you, the faith communities, he told participants to loud applause, we broke “the conspiracy of silence”, reached people in remote areas and forced governments to listen to the voices of the most marginalized.
But the battle is by no means over, Sidibé warned the Assembly. 18 million people today are still waiting for life saving treatment and progress is now being threatened both by the economic crisis and by what he called a “growing global conservatism”, placing national security concerns above individual rights. Discrimination is on the rise again with some 40 countries restricting the rights of HIV positive people or criminalizing those most likely to be infected – the gays, the drug users, the sex workers. And with the epicenter of the epidemic shifting towards stable couples where one partner is HIV positive, the churches are again being challenged to put their values of life and human dignity in the forefront of their social justice ministry.

Listen to Philippa’s interview with Michel Sidibé:

“I think we need to place human dignity at the centre of our action. If we collectively accept that we should not marginalize, exclude or create a world where some will have and others will not have, of course we will be progressing together. What we need today from the church is to really push this debate of social justice, of no one should be left behind because it’s difficult to be in the 21st century and have 18 million people still waiting for treatment and their lives are hanging in the balance, so for me the voice of the church should be stronger to remove this darker part.
Also we need to be courageous, to say that we need to talk about sexuality, to really bring universal sexual education in the way that young people can be equipped so they can be able to negotiate in a responsible manner their sexuality and not continue to make them believe that we can hide ourselves from the reality of today
I am seeing attitudes changing – we are talking today more freely about people who are drug injecting, sex workers, the gay community. For me, it’s not to promote homosexuality, it is to promote the protection of the vulnerable(s), we should not exclude anyone, we should not send people underground because of their social status or who they love. What we need is a caring society. If they are excluded by bad laws, where will they go? I am not seeing many homes that can be more compassionate than the church and mosque, so why will we not open more our doors?”

Listen to Philippa's report: