Your daily Selection of IRIN Africa PlusNews reports, 4/30/2004

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CONTENT:

1 - CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: Church leaders trained on HIV/AIDS awareness

1 - CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: Church leaders trained on HIV/AIDS awareness

BANGUI, 30 April (PLUSNEWS) - Some 44 church leaders in the Central

African Republic (CAR) completed on Thursday a four-day training course on

HIV/AIDS awareness, organised by the Ecumenical Initiative on HIV in

Africa and a local NGO.

A member of the Ecumenical Initiative, lie Koudougueret-Malogba, told

PlusNews on Thursday that the church leaders, representing 15 religious

institutions, were trained on the different means of HIV/AIDS infection as

well as means of protection against the scourge.

" Considering the increasing HIV rate in the Central African Republic, it

is urgent to include HIV/AIDS in the training programme of schools of

theology, " Koudougueret-Malogba said.

She added that theology could not be taught in today's context without

taking into account HIV/AIDS, which was killing thousands of people daily.

" Christian ethics must be taught and can help as prevention means "

Koudougueret-Malogba said.

She said the Church must provide spiritual and psychological support to

HIV positive people and those whose relatives had died from the disease.

" Most people turn to religion to seek support when they become aware of

their HIV positive status, the church must care for such people, " she

said.

" We must develop a theology of compassion instead of one of

stigmatisation " she said. " Church leaders must be informed and trained on

how to play such an important role. "

Josué Binoua, the representative of Ambassade Chretienne, which

co-organised the workshop with the Ecumenical Initiative, said some church

leaders still considered HIV/AIDS taboo and could mislead their followers.

" Schools and institutes of theology should train responsible pastors about

HIV/AIDS, " he said.

He added that although the Church was against the use of condoms,

protection measures should be recommended where one party of a couple

planning to marry was found to be HIV-positive and still wanted to go

ahead with the marriage.

" But the efficient protection means against HIV/AIDS is fidelity and

abstinence, " he said.

The training course for the church leaders was held following

recommendations made at another a conference organised by the Ecumenical

Initiative in Yaounde, Cameroon, in February 2003. The conference had

recommended that church and theological leaders be trained on ways and

means of fighting HIV/AIDS.

[ENDS]

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