Inter-faith Pre-Conference Report. 15/04/09
Notes and Presentations of the Inter-faith Pre-Conference at the 4th SA AIDS Conference
Organised by NCA, CABSA and SACC; Chaired By Daniela Gennrich, PACSA and Sixolile Ngcobo, Norwegian Church AID.
1. Faith Communities’ Contribution to Scaling Up HIV And AIDS Responses: What’s Happening in SADC. An ARHAP view.
Barbara Schmid (UCT) & Liz Thomas (MRC/CHP)
Download presentation below.
Questions and Comments: -
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A lot of local statistics show lack of faith based initiatives. Is this really true? Maybe the problem is that we do not give attention to local groups on the ground? A lot is happening at local level, although not so much in terms of treatment. How do we collect info on these initiatives?
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ARHAP has developed PIRHANA: Participatory-Inquiry-Into-Religious-Health-Assets-Networks-and-Agency as research /mapping tool
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CABSA has online database of Christian HIV projects
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Role of Religious Leadership. Even if there are many initiatives from faith communities, these are not seen if the religious leaders are not involved. CUAHA has tried to organize churches to show up in the real involvement.
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We are not focusing on African Indigenous Faith Communities.
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There is a major focus on AB – how do we assist Faith communities to expand prevention?
2. What Is an HIV and Aids Competent Faith Community?
Dr Sue Parry and Prof Ezra Chitando, EHAIA, WCC
Dr Sue Parry: Download presentation below.
Prof Ezra Chitando: “The tree who did not want to dance was forced to dance by the wind.” – This can be seen as an analogy for the church in a time of HIV.
Requirements for HIV Competent Faith Communities:
1. Sharp minds – Relevant theological training.
2. Large ears – Be the listening church.
3. Open eyes – Be alert to the injustices of the day.
4. A loud voice – Challenge politicians, be the cultural gate keepers.
5. Healing hands – Practical involvement in care.
6. Long arms – Minister also to those we are not comfortable with.
7. Quick feet - The church needs to be there first.
8. Work across faith communities.
Questions and Comments:
1. Referring to the analogy of the Dancing tree. The tree moves but the roots remain where they are. Should the tree not move? Theological training must facilitate the transformation of where the church/tree is placed.
2. What is it that we should do to get this message out there? WCC does a lot but local churches are paralysed. Need to look at our inner competence as churches.
3. There are good programmes- eg a program for students by students.
4. Different responses in formal and informal faith communities. We need to have the guts to confront simplistic arguments.
5. As members of the rainbow society, why is there a focus on just one segment of society in the pictures accompanying the presentation. This gives the impression that HIV is a black man’s problem. HIV is a human problem.
6. How do we assist the youth to fight HIV? There is not enough involvement of youth in planning programmes – nothing for us without us.
7. Do not expect answers to come from the top? There is many opportunities and responses from the bottom!
3. How can Interfaith Collaboration Assist in Creating HIV and AIDS Competent Communities?
Prof Farid Esack, UJ, Positive Muslims
Summary points:
- The tragedy about HIV is not that there are so many deaths, but rather the many, many deaths that those who die have to die before they die. There are so many deaths that people living with HIV die before physical deaths, the death by community, the death by family, the death by faith community, the death by friends.
- There is an enormous amount of interfaith collaboration. There is great collaboration between Vatican and conservative Muslims, but this is often collaboration on conservatism. When it comes to the war against women or those who are sexually different, we are quite happy to form collaboration behind the scenes. They don’t call it interfaith collaboration, but it is an increasing alliance of the right.
- We see the ‘privileging’ of the A and the B in prevention, but a attempt to completely eliminate the C. People can enter an intervention of prevention on either A or B perspective. We should not just reject their viewpoint but acknowledge that there is some place for this.
- We are very proud of the caring component of our faith communities, but it still moves from the position of a pure church, a pure faith community reaching out to the fallen. It does not confront, sexuality, gender, justice and injustice. It does not look at primary drivers of the pandemic. We need to recognise ourselves as either infected or having the potentiality of being the infected. The only way we are really going to address these issues is through undermining my own and other’s faith communities.
- How can we strengthen ties all the time with main stream structures of our community?
- We need a liberation theology in a time of HIV and AIDS. Our own faiths are not a product but rather a process which is connected to our engagement to the marginalized, the least amongst us. Faith is a growing outcome. We have a connection to those of other faiths who are in the same process. A new meaning of competence can develop when we see faith as a process – as journeying together.
Questions and Comments:
1. So few Muslims are present in the session or are engage in HIV. How can we increase the awareness of Muslims? Prof Esack highlighted the great increase in awareness in the last 10 years.
2. How can we encourage a “liberation theology” on condoms in Islam, the Catholic church and others entities
3. How do we deal with Faith communities that break people in the context of HIV
4. How do HIV and AIDS Competent Faith Communities Contribute to a National Strategic Plan, with Specific Emphasis on Advocacy?
Dr. Vuyani Willem, SACC
Summary points:
- Denialism is one of our greatest challenges. We talk, we preach but we can’t hear.
- Faith communities have a culture of death. If you go to many churches during Easter they will be full on Good Friday when we commemorate Jesus being crucified. People will re-enact it, they will cry, they will mourn. On Sunday when celebrating Easter, the churches will be much emptier. It seems faith communities are preoccupied with death. What is the resource which faith communities should use to respond to this? We need to emphasise life, especially the life of those positively living with HIV.
- There is a need for a reconstruction of the soul: Faith Communities need to affirm life and symbols of life. What are positive things people embrace and how can they be affirmed? Faith Communities should look at this within the framework of the NSP. This is the competence we can engage in.
- Faith Communities need to have a prophetic dimension to the conversation on HIV and AIDS. What are the narratives? They must be unearthed and should be told. Education must be framed by our rootedness in these stories.
- Faith Communities need some interreligious dialogue. What distinguishes one era in history from another is the spirit of the time.
Questions and Comment
1. There is a need for a change of mind. We need to focus on the value of a true religion, teach the right way to live.
2. Is religion just a panacea for this problem?
3. This is a moment of transition, but it is not necessarily a moment of hope from a religious perspective. The position and role of religion is also in transition – it is not a state religion but neither is it a prophetic religion, religion is about keeping the status quo rather than moving forward. Faith communities need to clarify how they see themselves prophetically and need critical engagement not only with the state but with communities.
4. 75% of the Strategic plan focuses on civil society. This session focuses only on advocacy when there is so much more we need to do. Faith communities should move beyond advocacy to address concrete and tangible issues.
5. We need to reignite the church.
6. Rev Canon Des Lambrecht highlighted the role of the sector in the NSP:
- National religious leaders are meeting with the president at least twice a year. These meetings happen on various topics.
- All sectors have had a say in the National Strategic Plan. Faith based sector also see itself as part of the implementation.
- Faith based sector put one proposal to the Global Fund. The proposal to the GF for round nine will have a generic nature.
- All activities of faith communities are aligned with the national strategic plan.
- Religious sector has secretariat at NRASD at University of Stellenbosch. All communication should go to that office.
5. 4th South African AIDS Conference - Statement from Participants of the Inter Faith Pre-Conference and other Faith Communities
The Statement was read by Lyn van Rooyen from CABSA and participants were invited to endorse the statement.(The statement can still be endorsed by individuals and organisations. Read the Statement and see who endorsed it.)
Key Resources highlighted during the session include:
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| FaithCommunitiesContributiontoScalingupHIV.pdf | 482.09 KB |
| HIVCompetentCommunity.doc | 51.5 KB |