INSIDE: Interfaith Catholic Coptic Hope

Prayer Room Church in Center

China

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AIDS 2006:

Norways Crown Princess Mette-Marit opens the childrens letters exhibit.
Our chance to shape the future
by Claudia Carthaus
Greeted by a song, Her Royal Highness
Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway
stepped to the podium, colorful banners
around her highlighting letters children and
teenagers around the globe have written
to world leaders asking them to keep their
promises related to HIV and AIDS.
The Crown Princess officiated at the ceremony
that recognized the Keep the Promise: Letters
to the World exhibit at the International AIDS
Conference. She was joined by two Canadian
children, Alexandra Lee and Mia Sams.
The childrens letters to Canadian Prime
Minister Stephen Harper were selected for
the exhibit out of thousands of letters written
in more than 60 countries. They ask their
nations leaders to keep the promises they
made in the Declaration of Commitment on
HIV and AIDS.
The education and advocacy campaign was
coordinated by the Ecumenical Advocacy Al-
liance and supported by the World AIDS Cam-
paign and UNAIDS in advance of the 2006
United Nations High-Level Meeting on AIDS.
FA IT H
in
ACTION
I think its
important to
keep your
I truly believe that young people are our
promises.
Mia Sams, Keep the Promise:
chance to shape the future. We need their Letters to the World
enthusiasm, energy and creativity, said
the Crown Princess, a UNAIDS Special
Representative. She stated that the two young
Canadians were the most important part of
the event and introduced Alexandra Lee. Issue no. 4
Aug. 16, 2006
Lee was moved to tears as she read her letter,
Daily news and views on religious
inspired by a movie she viewed at her church responses to HIV and AIDS
about AIDS orphans in Malawi. at the 16th International AIDS
Conference, Toronto, Canada. For
You have made many wonderful promises, more information and articles visit
www.e-alliance.ch/iac_2006.jsp
so wonderful it could help tons of people.
However, some of your promises havent hap-
pened yet, Lee read. I know you are prob-
ably very busy with all your work, but it is my
dream that someday we will find a cure.
After the event, the colorful banners
and book of letters were
moved to their
display location on
level 600 in the
South Building of
the Metro Toronto
Convention Centre.
A space of quiet and worship: Interfaith Prayer Room
by Hilary Roxe
In a quiet room of a bustling convention
center, a Buddhist meditates in one cor-
ner, a Muslim prays in another facing
Mecca, and three Pentecostal women
pray silently, waiting for a chance to
raise their voices. Under dimmed lights
and with the gentle sound of running
water coming from a small fountain,
the ordinary convention room has been
transformed into an interfaith prayer
space designed to provide spiritual re-
spite for the diverse congregation at the
International AIDS Conference.
Theyre all in the room at the same
time, providing space to one another to
pray to their God, said Terry MacAr-
thur, who manages the room.
MacArthur said many use the space as
an excuse to slow down in the midst of
a sometimes chaotic week or when the
conference experience inspires them to
worship. He has set up formal times
Ramban Lazarus Corepiscopa celebrates a special service in the Interfaith Prayer Room.
Page 2
for several faith groups Pentecostal,
Islamic, Buddhist, Catholic and Protes-
tant but he said conference attendees
have been coming to the room as they
find breaks in the meeting schedule.
Josephine Diabate, a Pentecostal or char-
ismatic worshipper from London, said
she and two colleagues use the prayer
room constantly.
We are there, and we pray. We pray for
people at the conference. We pray for
pharmaceutical companies. We pray for
the city where we are, she said.
Though they prefer to pray loudly, she
said they respect the space of other
worshippers, and keep their voices low
while others are in the room.
In addition to the daily schedule, events
are arranged for particular faiths. On
Tuesday, Aug. 15, for example, an In-
dian Orthodox ceremony celebrated the
assumption of Mary. Ramban Lazarus
Corepiscopa, who led the service, serves
a congregation in Brampton, Ontario,
near Toronto. But he said he preferred
to conduct the service at the conference,
reaching out to visitors from the Ortho-
dox Indian Church.
He was pleased when he saw the avail-
able space and brought in traditional
decorations to customize it for the Tues-
day service.
This is very good, he said, looking
around the room as volunteers from
his congregation picked up the materi-
als they had used in the service to make
room for a Pentecostal session starting a
few minutes later.
Catholic Church in China pioneers HIV and
AIDS care program by Hilary Roxe
Father Joseph Zhang, a Roman Catholic
priest from Chinas Liaoning province,
saw AIDS for the first time in 2003 at
a Catholic treatment centre in Bang-
kok, Thailand. Following his visit, he
received a note of warning from a fellow
priest. He pointed out that AIDS will
be a big problem for China, Zhang said.
He went back to China convinced that
caring for people living with HIV and
AIDS was the churchs responsibility.
Zhang returned to Thailand in 2004 with
six nuns and a lay person from his dio-
cese to visit Catholic centers and learn
about prevention and care of people af-
fected by HIV and AIDS. All of us
had the same feeling and experience,
Zhang said. We thought this is a call to
the church. We need to do this.
No other religious group had yet taken
up the issue in Shenyang, Liaonings
capital city, nor in the regions rural ar-
eas and there was no tradition of civil
society involvement in responding to
HIV and AIDS. Government health
agencies were providing care across
the province, Zhang said, but they were
understaffed and stretched thin.
Government officials were receptive but
Zhang said many Catholics in the diocese
questioned whether the work was church
business. He pointed to the Bible in re-
sponse. At Jesus time, it was the lepers.
In our time, it is the people with HIV and
AIDS. If Jesus were alive today, he cer-
tainly would do something, Zhang said.
Needing support, Zhang contacted
Catholic Relief Services (CRS), the
international humanitarian arm of the
United States Conference of Catholic
Bishops. In March 2005, with CRS
backing, the Catholic Social Service
Center of Liaoning Diocese began serv-
ing people affected by HIV and AIDS,
offering counseling, support groups,
financial assistance and home visits.
The prevalence of HIV infections in
China is not as high as in Asias most-
affected nations. A 2006 report from
UNAIDS estimated 0.1 percent of Chi-
nas adults between the ages of 15 and
49 were infected with HIV, compared
with 1.4 percent in Thailand. But the
report warned that the number of in-
fected Chinese is increasing.
The center cares for 20 patients on
average in Shenyang, none of whom
are Catholic. Zhang said the caseload
is increasing as the center staff learns
about people living with HIV and
AIDS in other communities. Noting
that government agencies are reporting
cases of HIV and AIDS in remote
regions of Liaoning, Zhang says, Next
CHECK
IT
OUT
Interfaith prayer room
Daily
Pentecostal worship; 9:00
Islamic prayers (Salat); 13:20 and 17:15
Buddhist meditation; 10:15
Roman Catholic mass; 12:15
Protestant worship; 15:45
North Building, Room 103A
Joint faith-based exhibit
Wed. Aug. 16 - Thurs. Aug. 17; 10:15-18:30
Exhibit area A, Booth number 475
Multifaith networking zone
Wed. Aug. 16 - Thurs. Aug. 17; 8:30-20:30
Fri. Aug. 18; 8:30-12:00
Global Village, just inside the entrance
Faith-based caucuses
Time for prayer, reflection on the day and
sharing
Wed. Aug. 16 - Thurs. Aug. 17; 21:00
Room 100, International Living and
Learning Centre, Ryerson University;
Sixth floor common room, New College
Civil society institutions: Caught
between stigma and social responsibility
Wed. Aug. 16; 14:15-15:45
Session Room 10, Level 100

Recognizing that most people knew

little about the virus, Zhang knew that
education about HIV and AIDS was
the first step. He contacted government
health officials and asked them to train
the provinces 200 nuns in HIV and
AIDS treatment. He also approached
officials from the governments reli-
gious affairs bureau, which liaises with
Chinas approved religions.
year our mission is going to expand
into the rural areas.

Zhang, who was ordained as a priest

in 1992, was a seminary teacher before
his first trip to Thailand. At that time,
he said, he believed education was the
most important service he could offer.
Now I think serving people is the most
important, he said. Without serving
other people, our faith is not complete.
Good Catholics use condoms: How to
answer the tough questions surrounding
HIV/AIDS prevention and religion

Wed. Aug. 16; 14:15-17:45

Skills Building Room 5, Level 200

Mobilizing the church to respond to

HIV and AIDS
Thurs. Aug. 17; 07:00-08:30

Skills Building Room 4, Level 200

Page 3
Bishop Paul
Coptic Orthodox Church dispenses hope and HIV medication in model
Kenyan project by Elly Wamari
Joans life was shattered the night thieves broke into her
family home in Nairobi, Kenya, and gang-raped her, leav-
ing her infected with HIV. The teacher, wife and mother of
three struggled for two years to recover from the trauma but
in 2002 resigned her teaching job and sank into depression.
When she discovered the Coptic Hope Center, she finally
found the comprehensive medical care and emotional sup-
port she needed.
Based in Nairobi, the Hope Center, as it is popularly known,
is awash with stories like Joans. An initiative of the 4,500-
member Coptic Orthodox Church in Kenya, its mandate is to
offer care and treatment for people living with HIV and AIDS.
With financial support from the USA, Germany, Sweden and
the government of Kenya, services are offered at no charge.
When the center opened in October 2004, staff treated 50
people a day. Today it treats 250 people a day. Of its current
5,000 patients, almost half are on antiretroviral treatment.
The rapid growth is due to the centers reputation for provid-
ing the best in physical, psychological and spiritual support
Ecumenical Advocacy
Alliance
150, route de Ferney
PO Box 2100
1211 Geneva 2
Switzerland
+ 41 22 791 6723
+ 41 22 710 2387
info@e-alliance.ch
Printed on recycled paper www.e-alliance.ch
to all. Mena Attwa, program manager, says, Many people
who have been here say there is something that is different
in this place. We feel that God is playing a huge role. Attwa
adds that Bishop Paul, bishop of mission affairs for the Cop-
tic Church, is a source of inspiration and direction. He will
always come up with a solution.
According to Bishop Paul, the Coptic Hope Center was one
of the first to acquire testing equipment. He volunteered to
be the first to be tested, and he assured people of the confi-
dentiality of the results and the support they will receive if
they test positive.
Bishop Paul talks of spiritual and medical guidance that at-
tracts people to the center. The Hope Center has chosen
a scientific approach that gets into understanding specific
needs of people and providing solutions to those needs.
Staff of the Coptic Hope Center will present its work on
Thursday at 11:00 in the Multifaith Networking Zone,
Global Village.
Views expressed in this bulletin are not necessarily those of the
Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance.
Produced by the Ecumenical Media Team, media@e-alliance.ch, Mobile: 1.416.825.2256
Photos, stories, audio and video available for free use with attribution at
www.e-alliance.ch/iac_2006.jsp.
The Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance is a broad international network of churches and
Christian organizations cooperating in advocacy on global trade and HIV and AIDS.
Page 3 photo Hilary Roxe/EAA, remaining photos Melissa Engle/EAA
Interfaith AIDS ribbon logo donated by Andy Marino / Marinodesign LLC