HIV/AIDS growing threat in religious communities

Chris W. Green, AIDS Activist, Jakarta

It is heartening that after all this time, some light is beginning to be shed upon the challenges faced by religious institutions, in particular the Catholic Church, in regard to the sexuality of their clergy. The article in this daily of April 3 (A betrayal of love for the church) identifies some of the problems faced by clergy and members of the church, such as lesbians and gays, who do not conform to the norms expected.

There is an even greater challenge faced by such clergy: That of their vulnerability to HIV/AIDS. It is of course difficult to obtain statistics, but one report a couple of years back estimated that AIDS had killed hundreds of American Roman Catholic priests since the mid-1980s.

Similar reports surfaced more recently from Italy. And if we should think this is solely a problem for Catholics, let us remember that a Methodist bishop has died of AIDS in Texas, while in 1987, the London Times estimated that more than 100 Anglican clergy were known to be HIV-positive.

Priests who are sexually active are among the most vulnerable to such sexually transmitted infections. They cannot satisfy their desires in the way that others can, by visiting red-light areas or going to "houses of ill-repute", be they brothels or five-star hotels.

They are always in fear that they will be identified in a compromising situation. They thus tend to engage in anonymous encounters in dark places, where they take the greatest risk. They often cannot or will not use condoms, either through lack of access or because of a remaining twinge of respect for the rules. And if they get a sexually transmitted infection, it is even more difficult for them to go to a clinic for treatment.

All this significantly raises the level of risk for sexually active clergy, be they gay or straight. But it doesn't stop there. It is difficult for anyone with HIV to "come out" and share the knowledge of his or her infection with others, even within the family. With whom can an infected priest share that secret? How will his congregation greet the news that their shepherd is so human? In the absence of previous experience or role models, they would have to assume that the result would be disastrous, both for them and for the church.

Thus the priest with AIDS will receive no support, no comfort, no counseling, and in many cases no treatment. In the report on AIDS among the clergy in America, it was said that the death rate for priests who have AIDS is over four times the rate for HIV- positive people among the general population.

It is much the same for others within the church -- and surely in other religions. How would an HIV-positive teacher in a religious school be treated? A verger, or a member of the parish council? Would they be willing to reveal their status? Probably not.

Why is this? Why is it that religious organizations, with their mission to minister to the worlds' oppressed, find it so difficult to care for such people among their own ranks?

All religious organizations should start by examining their attitudes to their own members before looking outward to the wider community. They should start by asking themselves how they would accept one of their members, even one of their leaders, who revealed that he or she was HIV-positive.

They should ensure that a loud and clear message is sent out in advance that such a person will continue to be accepted, to be respected, to be supported and to be employed, so that those who later find themselves in need feel comfortable to share their status.

Don't let's fall into the trap of believing that this is only a problem in the degenerate West. That is often the first and easiest form of denial. Remember that the above article mentioned earlier reported the challenges in our near neighbor, the Philippines. It would be a great mistake to claim that "Asian Values" protect us from this, any more than they do from an HIV/AIDS epidemic among the wider population.

If we really believe that people with AIDS should be accepted without stigma and discrimination in the community, we should start in our own families and congregations.