c. 2006 Religion News Service

TORONTO _ In the long-running tragedy known as the global AIDS pandemic, religion has played various roles.

Two decades ago, while doctors and researchers worked to find a cure for the newly recognized disease, religious voices were either silent or heard as oracles of doom and condemnation.

At the International AIDS Conference in Toronto this week (Aug. 14-18), faith groups are more visible, but they often have been jeered at by other participants, with criticism aimed primarily at the continuing debate over abstinence as a tool for effective prevention.

In an opening session, philanthropist and Microsoft chairman Bill Gates was warmly received by the thousands of delegates from around the world _ until he mentioned the “ABC approach,” which brought loud boos from the audience.

With the “A” standing for abstinence, the approach was embraced by the Bush administration and tied to a percentage of AIDS funding, which primarily went to faith-based groups who agreed to use the funds for abstinence education.

The approach is viewed as unrealistic by some and condemned as far worse by others. Stephen Lewis, who has spent the past five years as the United Nations’ special envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, told participants that the pursuit of an abstinence-only until marriage policy, at the expense of condoms, is “not intelligent.”

But while the public debate over abstinence continues, it obscures the fact that faith-based organizations have made a great deal of progress not only in philosophy but in practice. Some of that progress was evident at an interfaith meeting convened before the main conference and attended by hundreds of people from various faiths.

Gunnar Stalsett, former Lutheran bishop of Oslo, Norway, and co-chair of the interfaith conference, says faith-based organizations are now widely recognized for delivering the majority of services to local communities.

Today, few religious leaders openly condemn those infected with HIV, but many still find open discussions about behavior awkward. Says Stalsett: “We need to say it is about sexuality, it is about drugs. People representing faith organizations need to use these words in order to be heard and be connected to the real issue.”

Speakers at the event also urged participants of various faiths to work together. “HIV and AIDS is an issue where we find our unity within our diversity,” said Mark Hanson, the presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and president of the Lutheran World Federation, to a group of Christians, Buddhists, Muslims, Jews, Bahais and Hindus.

Admitting there are obstacles to interfaith collaboration, he continued: “We come as people of faith whose identity has been shaped by deeply held convictions and practices. That makes collaboration very difficult because we tend to distrust the faith and religious practices of the other.”

Kay Warren, head of the HIV/AIDS response project at Saddleback Church in California and wife of “Purpose-Driven Life” author Rick Warren, said her participation at the event for faith-based groups was “an incredible moment and blessing,” according to a press release issued by the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance, which coordinated the event.

But if the pre-conference meeting was encouraging to religious leaders, the main conference has stood in stark contrast. While the conference began as a forum to share scientific and clinical findings, it has expanded to include dozens of workshops on various aspects of HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment. Some faith groups complained privately that subjects relating to faith were barely represented in the program.

Exhibits in “The Global Village” section of the conference include graphic demonstrations by sex workers and vocal rallies by various advocacy groups. Except for World Vision, acknowledged as one of the most active groups in working with those affected by HIV, no faith-based group was represented.

Ken Casey, who heads World Vision’s international effort, said: “It can be discouraging. There is so much work to do and spending time debating the approach can be draining.”

Ironically, the recent report by UNAIDS praised the participation of faith groups and identified congregations as having untapped potential for responding to the pandemic.

But with faith-based groups receiving an often hostile response from other participants in the international meeting, they continue to struggle to find their place on the global stage. Some, finally, are acknowledging that their efforts are making a difference.

(Dale Hanson Bourke is author of “The Skeptic’s Guide to the Global AIDS Pandemic.”)

KRE/PH END BOURKE

To find a photo of Dale Hanson Bourke, go to the RNS Web site at https://religionnews.com. On the lower right, click on “photos,” then search by last name.

See related story, RNS-AIDS-SUMMIT, also transmitted Aug. 15.