Combating global AIDS: A common calling for people of faith

July 27, 2004                                                  

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.”

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.

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.

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.