Anglican Communion News Service

In the first place it is a spiritual call to lead. It is a call to share in the lives of the people of the Body of Christ, many of whom are infected or affected by HIV/AIDS. It is a call to lead into something unknown and to be seen to lean on God. We have chosen this time in the Church' Calendar called Lent, since this is a time for reflection, repentance and intercession for and in a suffering world.

It is an opportunity to set an example and at the same time it is to be seen as an act to build community. We are called to humility, to wisdom and to understanding; but also to honesty and to responsibility. We are also called to be on our guard in our own lives as leaders and teachers, to live blameless lives and to be self critical if we presume to teach others. And we are also called to unity and community to share in each others lives.

In the third place we feel it is a realistic and practical call which, on balance, has positive implications for the medical, emotional and spiritual well-being of people. In this context it is of importance that individual people, who discover their HIV-positive status, are supported in their determination to live constructive, fulfilled and quality lives.

For this to happen, society is challenged to accept people living with HIV with generosity and care, and the government is challenged to make affordable medical treatment available.

In the same way that pharmaceutical companies have been criticised to favour profits over people, the church is calling on the government to prioritise its spending towards creating a healthy and empowered population. The recent developments with regard to our government's intentions to grant compulsory licensing, thereby drastically reducing the cost of medication, is welcomed. Yet this is only half a measure.

The Church calls on the government to put effective structures into place that make for developing a healthy, hard working population, thereby improving the physical, emotional and economic well-being of our peoples. The Church feels that if 43 billion rand is available for defending our nation against invisible enemies, there should be an equal amount available for fighting the real enemy that is causing untold havoc, pain and suffering amongst all our communities.

We realise that the delivery of health services, in urban as well as in rural areas, need considerable improvement. The church has a potential army of people able and willing to render a variety of humanitarian services ranging from counselling and home based care to responding to the needs of children orphaned as a result of HIV/AIDS. For the church to be able to deliver services, effective and sustained partnerships have to be established.