Churches must be brave in face of HIV - Archbishop

|PIC1|The Archbishop of Canterbury is reaching out to churches with a message of hope to be brave, imaginative and honest in the face of the global HIV and Aids pandemic.

Dr Rowan Williams' message of encouragement has been prepared for World Aids Day this Saturday. It is the first time that his message will be made available in video format on the internet.

Dr Williams praised the active engagement and dedication of churches in the global response to HIV and sharply criticised the limited access to drugs and treatment in some of the poorest parts of the world as "a scandal".

"It is important that we do not allow ourselves to be paralysed by this challenge; people do not have to die - drugs and treatment are available - the scandal is that access is so often limited and it is hard to see where justice lies in the way resources are sometimes distributed," he says in his message.

He also stressed that governments needed to be challenged to work effectively with faith-based organisations.

Dr Williams paid tribute to charities like Tearfund and Christian Aid, which are partnering with Christians and churches on the ground in Africa and other parts of the world struggling with Aids to raise awareness, break down stigma, promote education and provide care to those affected by the condition.

He also acknowledged, however, that the church had not always tried its best to care for those living with HIV.

"The churches have not always challenged as they should the stigma that is attached to HIV and Aids in many countries," he said.

"They have failed to say that those living with HIV and Aids are God's beloved children, with dignity, liberty and freedom.

"What is owed to them is what is owed to any human being made in God's image, and the more we are trapped by thoughts and images about stigma, the less we shall be able to respond effectively."

The Archbishop's short film has been produced in association with Christian humanitarian agency Tearfund and features 13-year-old Rachel, just one in a million Aids orphans in Uganda. Although so young, Rachel has since the age of eight been the single parent of a household which includes six younger siblings and demands a daily routine of cooking, cleaning and growing food for the family.

The film is included in a Tearfund DVD pack - Bring Childhood Back to Life - which was launched earlier in the week. The pack talks about the work that Tearfund is doing to help children orphaned by Aids find back something of a childhood, particularly through providing an education, nutritious food, medicine and spiritual care in a loving church.

"If I didn't have the pastor, it would be terrible for me," says Rachel. "When my parents died, I realised I'm left alone and as the eldest I have to look after the younger ones."

The Bring Childhood Back to Life DVD pack is suitable for churches and small groups and contains a detailed booklet full of facts and figures relating to those orphaned by Aids, as well as useful quotes, prayer and how churches can get further involved with Tearfund's work in this area.

The message is available on the Archbishop's website - www.archbishopofcanterbury.org

Further information about the work of Tearfund with the global church can be found at: www.tearfund.org