March 26, 2003

CATIA LA MAR, Venezuela - The head of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Venezuela (IELV), has urged Lutheran churches in Latin America to face the challenges posed by the HIV/AIDS pandemic. "AIDS is a humanitarian disaster, and the churches should not close their eyes to it," IELV President, Rev. Akos Puky said.

He was speaking at a March 18-21 HIV/AIDS consultation for the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) member churches in Latin America, held in Catia la Mar near the Venezuelan capital Caracas.

Around 30 representatives of the LWF Latin American churches, ecumenical observers and representatives of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) participated in the consultation at the invitation of the IELV. The aim of the meeting was to start the regional implementation of the Global LWF Campaign Against HIV/AIDS, officially launched in May 2002 in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, and to develop a concrete action plan for the LWF member churches in the region. The January 2002 LWF HIV/AIDS Action Plan, "Compassion, Conversion, Care: Responding as Churches to the HIV/AIDS Pandemic," provides a basis for the Federation's world-wide campaign.

Dr Deisy Matos, director of Venezuela's Ministry of Health program on AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases, was at the consultation's opening ceremony. She stressed her country's fundamental willingness to cooperate with all interested groups in the fight against HIV/AIDS. "I look forward with particular interest to the results of this consultation. We see good possibilities for cooperation," she said. In her opening speech, she referred to close cooperation with "Accion Ecumenica," an NGO with strong ties to the IELV, which is also carrying out crucial education work in cooperation with the heath ministry. The LWF supports Accion Ecumenica's activities.

Matos emphasized the need for the introduction of affordable generic drugs for AIDS treatment. "The State currently pays USD 27 million per year for the treatment of AIDS patients. In the mid-term, not even an oil-exporting country like Venezuela can keep that up," she said. She hopes that the churches, in particular, will give decisive impetus to the world-wide discussion on accessibility of HIV/AIDS drugs.

During his presentation, Rev. Lisandro Orlov of the United Evangelical Lutheran Church (IELU) in Argentina and Uruguay acknowledged the LWF Global Campaign Against HIV/AIDS and pointed out that the Federation's work on HIV/AIDS started 15 years ago. In March 1988, the publication "Pastoral Work in Relation to AIDS," (LWF Documentation No. 25) was released in Kaiserswerth, Germany following an LWF Consultation on "Pastoral Work in Relation to AIDS."

Orlov underlined the particular significance of the churches' pastoral responsibility and activities that focus on justice. "Throughout my work and experience with people living with the AIDS virus, not a single person asked for sympathy. What these people need is not sympathy, but justice," said the Argentinean pastor. Since 1986, Orlov has coordinated an IELU ecumenical solidarity initiative for people with HIV/AIDS. Each year, together with a team of 14 other pastors and volunteers, the group has visited and counseled nearly 200 people living with HIV/AIDS.

Orlov also suggested a reinterpretation of the term "care," from the title of the LWF HIV/AIDS campaign, to mean "intervention in the spirit of solidarity." He spoke clearly in favor of churches working to reduce the spread of the disease, including the use of effective methods of prevention. "Restricting the church's campaign to a mere preventative strategy would be as inappropriate for the church as completely ignoring or rejecting it [HIV/AIDS]."

The task of the four-day consultation was to develop a regional action plan, which will be voted on in April by the Conference of Bishops and Presidents of the Lutheran Churches of Latin America. The document will then be discussed at the LWF Latin American Pre-Assembly Consultation, which will take place April 6-9 in San Salvador, El Salvador.

All of the participants considered the presence of ecumenical guests, representatives of regional NGOs, and people affected by HIV/AIDS as an important and enriching experience. The consultation organizers noted: "We have thus already implemented at least part of the LWF Action Plan." They said that one of the plan's objective is to break down the isolation in which churches often work. Emphasis is on an approach that combines all open and interested sectors of society.

The LWF global campaign aims to engage the member churches in an open discussion about HIV/AIDS, and to promote their active and courageous response to the pandemic. The Federation's action plan provides for the support and resources, including financial resources, to ensure an effective response to the disease.

Lutheran World Information