Combating global AIDS: A common calling for people of faith
Combating global AIDS: A common calling for people of faith
July 27, 2004
Photo by Paul Jeffrey Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance
Participants kneel to pray for those affected by HIV and AIDS.
Participants
kneel to pray for those affected by HIV and AIDS during the closing
worship of "Access for All: The Faith Community Responding," an
ecumenical gathering held in Bangkok, Thailand. Photo #04-295. 7/27/04
A UMNS Commentary
By the Rev. Donald E. Messer*
“Combating
global HIV/AIDS is our common calling in this millennium,” declared a
Muslim religious leader. “We all must join hands today and move forward
together from all religions, sharing mercy and compassion.”
This
clarion challenge during a time of interfaith prayer climaxed a
historic gathering of Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus and Jews in
Bangkok, Thailand, a few hours before 17,000 people gathered for the
opening of the 15th International AIDS Conference July 11-16.
Never
before had people of faith from the world’s major religions met
together to face the world escalation of the AIDS pandemic. By uniting
not only in prayer, but also in study, reflection and dialogue, they
expressed a new religious commitment to addressing critical issues of
HIV awareness, education, prevention, care and treatment.
It
represented a small step forward toward the vision earlier articulated
by Peter Piot, a physician and UNAIDS executive director, when he
declared, “I hope for a day when every church engages in an open
dialogue on issues of sexuality and gender difference. I hope for a day
when every synagogue will mobilize as advocates for a global response to
fight AIDS, when every temple will fully welcome people living with
HIV, where every mosque is a place where young people will learn about
the facts of HIV and AIDS.
“When that will have happened,” concluded Piot, “I am convinced that nothing will stop our success in our fight against AIDS.”
Photo by Paul Jeffrey Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance
Demonstrators protested the U.S. government's resistance to the use of generic AIDS drugs.
Demonstrators
protesting the resistance of the United States government to the
widespread use of generic AIDS drugs brought their voices to the XV
International AIDS Conference in Bangkok, Thailand. Photo #04-296.
7/27/04
More
than 20 years into the battle against global AIDS, it is evident,
however, that few signs of victory can be cited. Last year proved to be
the worst year ever, with some 3 million deaths and 5 million new
infections in 2003. By 2010, it is estimated that more than 100 million
people worldwide will have been infected with HIV.
Meeting
in Asia for the first time, the 15th International AIDS Conference
featured a keynote address by Kofi A. Annan, secretary-general of the
United Nations. He noted that the “Africanization of AIDS” was changing,
with one out of every four new infections being reported in Asia during
2003. The pandemic is not decreasing in Africa, just escalating in
Eastern Europe and Asia, particularly India and China.
Annan
also emphasized gender inequalities, saying that AIDS increasingly has
the “face of a woman.” Women already comprise almost 60 percent of all
infections in Africa. Biologically and culturally, women are more prone
to HIV. Until the education and empowerment of women takes precedence in
the struggle, HIV prevention programs emphasizing only the “ABCs”
(abstinence, being faithful and condoms) will have only a partial
impact.
A
positive development since the previous conference two years ago is the
movement toward making life-giving anti-retroviral drugs available free
or at sharply reduced costs. The World Health Organization (WHO) with
its “3 x 5 plan” is seeking to make access to treatment available to 3
million people in the “two-third’s world” by 2005. The Bush
administration has launched the president’s $15 billion program for 15
countries over a five-year period.
Both
efforts, unfortunately, are lagging behind their own timetables.
Bureaucratic problems and a serious global lack of doctors and health
workers to administer and monitor drugs hamper the WHO. The Bush plan
seems stymied by its tendency for preferring unilateral action, plus its
close political relationship with the large pharmaceutical companies
that benefit from high prices.
Photo by Paul Jeffrey/Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance
Orphaned children living with AIDS brought their needs and questions to the conference.
Orphaned
children living with AIDS bring their needs and questions to the XV
International AIDS Conference in Bangkok, Thailand. Photo #04-304.
7/27/04
Another
positive development is the recently initiated Global Fund to Fight
AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Established with a goal of $10 billion
needed annually, it remains grossly underfunded by the United States and
other donor countries and non-governmental agencies.
Richard
Feacham, the Global Fund executive director, seemed to consider the
ecumenical and interfaith gatherings critically important. Twice he came
to the events, organized by the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance, to
underscore the crucial role faith-based groups must play if there is
ever to be an AIDS-free world.
Because
faith-based groups reach into every community and every family, Feacham
believes that “in matters of public awareness and prevention” the voice
of Christians and others is imperative.
Second,
he emphasized that churches must remain in the forefront of responding
to the tragedy of orphans and other vulnerable children. From 2001 to
2003, the number of AIDS-related orphans increased from 11.5 million to
15 million. The United Nations Children’s Fund projects there will be 50
million orphans in sub-Saharan Africa within the next six years.
Third,
Feacham noted that churches worldwide are the major providers of health
care. Pleading for help, he noted “a lot more of that good work could
be done if the finances were available.”
On
the negative side, no breakthroughs for cure or vaccines were announced
at the 15th International AIDS Conference. Both seem quite remote
possibilities, despite years of scientific research.
Likewise,
the conference theme, “Access For All,” seemed more rhetorical than
real. At best, the WHO program would reach only half of those people
most urgently needing anti-retroviral treatment now. The ethics of who
gets treatment and who does not, and what happens to the 3 million left
untreated, generally was not discussed.
Photo by Paul Jeffrey/Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance
Thai sex workers demonstrated in the exhibit area on opening day of the conference.
The
15th International AIDS Conference began July 11 in Bangkok, Thailand.
On the opening day, Thai sex workers demonstrated in the exhibit area.
Photo #04-303. 7/27/04
Due
to stigma, discrimination and, often, legal penalties, major groups of
people like sex workers, intravenous drug users, prisoners, migrant
workers, refugees and men who have sex with men particularly suspect the
more honest slogan should have been “Access For Some.”
Because
the global AIDS pandemic involves talking about sexuality, intravenous
drug usage, condom distribution, prostitution and so forth, more than
one Bangkok speaker reminded church leaders that getting involved in
this issue is not “easy, pretty or simple — in fact, rather difficult
and sometimes messy.” Yet people are suffering and dying at astronomical
rates. For Christians to remain uninvolved would be clearly immoral.
Conspicuously
absent from these meetings were official representatives of the United
Methodist Church and the World Methodist Council. Catholics, Anglicans,
Lutherans and organizations like the World Council of Churches, World
Vision and Church World Service had displays of their work in the
convention center.
The
recent 2004 United Methodist General Conference passed pages of
excellent resolutions on global AIDS and set an ambitious goal of
raising $8 million through a new Advance Fund (Advance No. 9823454-7) in
the next four years. If these goals are met, then the current HIV/AIDS
work of the United Methodist Board of the Global Ministries can be
greatly expanded.
Hopefully,
at least four developments within Methodism will be apparent when the
16th International AIDS Congress meets in Toronto, Canada, August 13-19,
2006. First, United Methodism will be officially represented in both
the ecumenical and interfaith discussions. Second, significant progress
can be reported on raising the $8 million United Methodist Global AIDS
Fund.
Third,
the 2006 World Methodist Conference in Seoul, South Korea, will have
provided significant programs and workshops that will mobilize
Methodists worldwide to think theologically and to respond with “mercy
and compassion” to the challenge of global AIDS.”
Fourth,
all Methodists everywhere by 2006 will have accepted the Muslim
invitation, “joining hands” in “our common calling for this millennium,”
not only with our Islamic brothers and sisters, but also with all
people and organizations seeking to combat HIV and AIDS in the world.
*Donald Messer, past president of Iliff School of Theology in Denver and the author of Breaking the Silence: Christian Churches and the Global AIDS Crisis,
was a delegate to the 15th International AIDS Conference and was a
presenter at the pre-ecumenical/interfaith conference July 9-10.
News media contact: Linda Bloom·(646)369-3759·New York· E-mail: newsdesk@umcom.org.