A s early as 1986 the Executive

A s early as 1986 the Executive
committee of the World Council of
Churches (WCC) stated:
to confess that churches as
institutions have been slow to speak
and to act, - that many Christians
have been quick to judge and
condemn many of the people who
have fallen prey to the disease; and
that through their silence, many
churches share responsibility for the
fear that has swept our
world more quickly
than the virus itself
“and called on the
churches to respond
appropriately to the
need for pastoral care,
education for prevention
and social ministry” 2.
In September 1996, a
landmark, comprehensive
statement, the Impact
of HIV/AIDS and the
Churches’ Response,
was adopted by the
WCC Central Committee
on the basis of the
WCC Consultative
Group on AIDS study
process.3 The statement
clearly states that:
Churches can do
much to promote, both
in their own lives and
in the wider society, a
climate of sensitive,
factual and open
exploration of the
ethical issues posed
by the pandemic. … in accordance
with their emphasis upon personal
and communal responsibility the
churches’ can promote conditions –
personal, cultural, and socioeconomic
– which support persons
in making responsible choices. This
requires a degree of personal
freedom which is not always
available: for example, women, even
within marriage, may not have the
power to say “no” or to insist on the
practice of such effective preventive
measures such as abstinence,
mutual fidelity and condom use.
The statement went on to assert:
People living with HIV generally
encounter fear, rejection and
discrimination. Because such
reactions contradict the values of the
gospel, the churches are called to
formulate and advocate a clear policy
of non-discrimination against
persons living with HIV/AIDS.