HIV/AIDS: WCC leader urges church to open up

By Henry Neondo

The General Secretary of the World Council of Churches, Rev Dr Samuel Kobia urged the Church yesterday to overcome apathy, speak openly about issues of sexuality and partner up and fight the HIV and AIDS.

Speaking at a forum on Religion in the face of HIV and AIDS, Kobia, a Kenyan, said the church has to overcome the challenge of unacceptable levels of ignorance and lack of hope in the face of HIV and AIDS and stop continued marginalization of people living with HIV, end trivialization of women and violence and impoverishment meted against them.

He said the church should now rather begin to provide solutions to those in need of care and treatment.

He said “faced with HIV and AIDS, the objective of the church should shift from being objects of service to the helpless recipient, rather partnership to enrich”.

Rev Kobia revealed that an assessment of the church’s response to HIV and AIDS done last year by the WCC showed that the core belief systems of the church has been challenged and churches are increasingly addressing issues of sexuality.

He said as a result of increasing openness, attitudes have been changed, thousands of church leaders are being trained on HIV and AIDS and numerous programmes on the same have been initiated.

“We have been progressively helped to accept people living with HIV as valued members of society and have made them an indivisible part f the movement of churches to overcome HIV”, he said, adding that HIV and AIDS cannot be fought without dealing with the issues of sexuality.

He said actions by churches, although coming late, have been effective tool in the struggle to overcoming HIV through ecumenical cooperation, breaking down denominational, dogmatic, religious, cultural and linguistic barriers.

As a result, added Rev Dr Kobia, an increasing number of vulnerable children are being cared for and more people living with HIV have access to care and treatment.

As a result of this change, said Kobia, the faith communities now account for 40 percent of health care delivery related to HIV not only in Kenya but in the entire sub-Saharan Africa.
He asked religious leaders to take the approach that reconstructs the moral fabric of society and sets the standard that is able to be reflected.