CONSIDERED a place of hope and renewal, Christian churches continue to shun people living with HIV/ AIDS, says Reproductive Health co-ordinator North Asivorosi Tora.
Speaking to youths of the Labasa Christian Mission Fellowship during an awareness campaign yesterday, Mr Tora said the church was the first place where survivors needed to find solace in.
Mr Tora said if this was not the case, Christian churches needed to review the purpose of their existence.
He applauded the CMF Labasa branch’s open door approach to the campaign and for further allowing them to celebrate the World Aids Day with its youth members yesterday. He said the church was one of the first on Vanua Levu, and maybe the country, to open its doors to them for the global campaign to remember those living with the disease, including the fallen.
He said most of the times, churches viewed patients and their intention to come out in the open as a shame, worrying more about their reputation.
Mr Tora said even the Ministry of Health’s stand on the use of protection was often viewed by the church as a means of promoting pre-marital and immoral sexual relationships.
He told youths the sole reason the ministry continued to encourage protection was because it had no other choice but to take those preventative measures to counter the rise of HIV/AIDS.
In response, acting Fiji Council of Churches general secretary Netani Rika said it was unfortunate stigma existed within communities in the country, often filtering down to churches.
On behalf of all churches, Mr Rika apologised to people living with HIV/AIDS, including victims of violence saying the church had, at times, failed to reach out to individuals in their time of need and often blamed themselves for what they went through.
He encouraged church leaders to consider the ministry of Jesus which spent most of its times with the shunned and the minorities of society, including prostitutes, tax collectors and lepers. He also encouraged church leaders to treat their flocks with the same treatment Jesus would take.
