November 30, 2007

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina/GENEVA – Argentine Lutheran pastor Lisandro Orlov has received a government recognition for his dedicated service to people affected by HIV and AIDS.

Ambassador Guillermo Oliveri, secretary for religious affairs in Argentina's foreign ministry, paid tribute to the work of the 65-year-old pastor of the United Evangelical Lutheran Church (IELU) on 22 November in the context of events marking the 26th anniversary of the "Day of Freedom of Conscience and Religious Freedom in the Republic of Argentina."

For Orlov, regional coordinator of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) global campaign against HIV and AIDS, the recognition proves that IELU's commitment to AIDS work is no longer seen as a task "destined for the health authorities. It is, in fact, a contribution to freedom of conscience and religion." In an interview with Lutheran World Information (LWI) the theologian emphasized that "both society and government have noticed that we are anxious to develop a message that counters stigma and discrimination."

"Our ecumenical pastoral activity is understood in the sense of deepening the democratic system and respect for pluralism in all its forms," said Orlov, who since 1986 is coordinator of an IELU ecumenical solidarity initiative for people affected by HIV and AIDS. He currently heads a center that can accommodate for short periods up to 15 people affected by HIV and AIDS. It provides care for those in crisis situations, offering them pastoral, psychological, medical and legal advice, and assisting them to find a new approach to life.

The Argentine government recognition is, according to Orlov, also a sign of appreciation for the LWF global AIDS campaign and action plan, "Compassion, Conversion, Care: Responding as Churches to the HIV/AIDS Pandemic." He sees it as a tribute to the Lutheran communion, which has supported this initiative from the beginning. It is recognition also of the duty to create COMMUNION with individuals and groups stigmatized by the epidemic even before it became widespread. The award translates into recognition of the will manifested by the Lutheran communion to achieve CONVERSION by taking the risk in an honest and humane dialogue embracing the consequences of the inner transformation in terms of the true self, thought and action. It is, finally, also about recognizing the resolve to ASSIST every person unconditionally when it comes to access to information, prevention and care.

Civil society groups and some governments in the region are indeed showing a growing interest in the work of the Lutheran churches in Latin America, according to Rev. Martin Junge, LWF Department for Mission and Development (DMD) area secretary for Latin America and the Caribbean. Through regular work in the fight against the epidemic, the churches have developed their own theological and pastoral profile, he says. Only last year the LWF member church in Costa Rica was invited to participate in the country coordination mechanism (CCM) on HIV and AIDS.

According to Junge, the honor to Orlov demonstrates not only recognition of the churches' profile and orientation in AIDS work but also emphasis on integration into national strategies. "Thus an important aim of the worldwide LWF AIDS campaign seems to be coming to fruition – that the churches should not be a stumbling block but active partners in combating HIV." (560 words)

The full text of the LWI interview with Rev. Lisandro Orlov follows:

LWI: Where do you see crucial developments in the area of HIV and AIDS in the last 20 years, particularly regarding the churches?

Rev. Lisandro Orlov: When we started to accompany peo ple affected by HIV and AIDS in 1986, we had neither role models nor points of reference. We went down this road with considerable anxiety and took the risk that our own communion and congregations would not understand what we were setting in motion. I think that the most important achievement over the past 20 years has been the conversion of the Lutheran communion in Latin America, which understands its pastoral work as a matter of justice and human rights.

From the start this work has been guided by our position and experiences during the years of the military dictatorship in Argentina, which ended in 1983. Just as we appealed for human rights during those tragic years, so have we now tackled this new challenge as a continuation. Because of prejudices and stigmatization, people affected by the epidemic disappear in a similar way and their civil rights are also not respected.

The Lutheran communion has learned that the issue of HIV and AIDS is linked with human dignity and that is our specific approach in fighting the epidemic. It is not the medical data or statistics that spur us into action – we want to promote the full enjoyment of human rights and the comprehensive recognition of dignity in diversity.

Looking back, where do you see the impact of your work on church and society?

In these 20 years of commitment to people with HIV and AIDS, the Lutheran communion has discovered the values of its own identity. We perceived the revolutionary force that lies in the promise of justification by faith in the context of the epidemic, and also the strength of a life rooted in this justification. It is all about words of comfort to people living with HIV, or affected by it, that their salvation comes from Christ alone and that their faith alone is the foundation of their belonging to the communion of believers. They must understand that nothing or no one can impair their God-given dignity.

The Lutheran communion has discovered its alternative voice and confessional identity in Latin America in dialogue with vulnerable people and groups, thus accepting to be a communion without walls and exclusion, unconditional and open to all.

The sustained work in the field of HIV and AIDS has enabled the Lutheran communion to become an alternative on the religious scene in Latin America. The different networks of people with HIV and AIDS can now distinguish between the different messages and no longer see all churches as a single, closed group. Many of them know by now that there is a community of churches that has something else to say-with regard to both prevention and pastoral care, as well as with human rights and open and inclusive dialogue.

The Lutheran communion has deepened its own message and confessional identity. We have learned how to work in networks on different church projects in the region, and likewise with government bodies and civil society. We have also learned to be present at places where political decisions are taken, becoming aware that all our actions in the field of pastoral and diaconal work must ultimately flow into concrete proposals for legislation. We have realized the importance of advocacy for this kind of process.

What does this award from the Argentine government mean to you?

It is significant that Ambassador Guillermo Oliveri, state secretary for religious affairs in the foreign affairs ministry conferred this honor on the "Day of Freedom of Conscience and Religious Freedom in the Republic of Argentina." Our work in the field of HIV and AIDS is no longer seen as a task to be assigned to the health authorities. It is, in fact, a contribution to the freedom of conscience and religion. That is where the originality and significance of this award lies.

Both society and government have noticed that we are anxious to develop a message that counters stigma and discrimination, both of which are major problems that need to be taken up by the church in its pastoral work. Our ecumenical pastoral activity (Pastoral Ecu ménica) is understood in the sense of deepening the democratic system and respect for pluralism in all its forms. In my view, this ideological positioning of the project and its contribution is one of the most important achievements.

On the other hand, I feel that this honor is also an acknowledgment of the Lutheran communion, which from the start has supported this innovative yet controversial initiative. It is recognition of the duty to create COMMUNION with individuals and groups stigmatized by the epidemic even before it became widespread. It amounts to recognizing the express will of the Lutheran communion to achieve CONVERSION by taking the risk in an honest and humane dialogue, embracing consequences for its inner transformation in the true self, thought and action. It is, finally, also about recognition of the resolve to ASSIST every person unconditionally when it comes to access to information, prevention and care.

Where do you see the greatest challenges in the fight against HIV and AIDS?

The immediate challenge fort the Lutheran communion is the creative renewed reading of the Bible, and also rediscovering its confessional basis and the subsequent reformulation of its pastoral work in the context of HIV and AIDS. This epidemic makes it clear that our difficulties are not connected with the virus, ways of becoming infected or types of prevention. HIV and AIDS manifest themselves as a reality that has a profound impact on biblical and confessional hermeneutics. We are challenged to become an alternative voice in a context of religious fundamentalism that is a threat to freedom of conscience and denies respect for diversity. The Lutheran communion has the historic opportunity to be a prophetic voice, fostering a peaceful co-existence in reconciled diversity, like brothers and sisters, and as the full affirmation of the civil rights for all people.

Lutheran World Information
Rev. Lisandro Orlov is director of the HIV and AIDS project "Pastoral Ecuménica VIH y SIDA" in Buenos Aires, Argentina.