Wrld Council of Churches’ (WCC) general secretary the Rev Dr Samuel Kobia has challenged his fellow men to join the efforts of women, especially grandmothers, in dealing with the immune deficiency pandemic.

During a panel at the International Women’s Summit convened by the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) in partnership with the International Community of Women Living with HIV and AIDS (ICW) and other international organisations in Nairobi on 4-7 July 2007, Dr Kobia declared that Christian doctrines should be “applied to edify life and not to condemn and judge.”

Dr Kobia is a Methodist minister from Kenya, and has first-gand experience of the impact of the AIDS pandemic.

After an appraisal of the considerable positive change reached during the last twenty years of ecumenical engagement with the issue, the WCC chief highlighted the necessity for religious men, in particular, to “fully engage in the campaign for providing holistic and comprehensive prevention, care and treatment” to those affected by HIV and AIDS.

He continued: “It is not enough to preach from the pulpits of our religious communities. We have to be down on our knees, praying for strength to face the truth and then rise up and act positively.”

More information on the International Women’s Summit on the YWCA web site

More information on WCC activities for a HIV-competent church

and on the Ecumenical HIV/AIDS Initiative in Africa (EHAIA)