National Consultation seeks ways to reach out interfaith response to HIV and AIDS

Programme Review and Programme Direction

Two key deliberative sessions during the 15th CCA General Assembly are the Programme Review and Programme Direction sessions.

The Programme Review and Programme Direction sessions will both be conducted in three groups relating to the CCA’s programme areas, namely, (i) General Secretariat (GS), (ii) Mission in Unity and Contextual Theology (MU) and Ecumenical Leadership Formation and Spirituality (EF); and (iii) Building Peace and Moving Beyond Conflicts (BP) and Prophetic Diakonia (PD).

Assembly participants will have the option to join one of three groups for both the Programme Review and Programme Direction sessions. For the sake of coherence, the assigned group will remain the same for both sessions.

General Secretariat

The General Secretariat oversees the coordination of programmatic, administrative, and financial activities of the organization. The GS comprises various departments such as church and ecumenical relations, relations with ecumenical partners, finance, administration, and communications, which provide crucial support and services for the implementation of programs and contribute to the overall functioning of the CCA.

Programmes: Relations with member churches and councils, ecumenical partners; advocacy at the United Nations; ecumenical responses to emerging issues in solidarity; income development and finance; and communications.

Mission in Unity and Contextual Theology (MU) and Ecumenical Leadership Formation and Spirituality (EF)

Under the MU programme area, the CCA accompanies Asian churches to strengthen their mission and witness in multi-religious contexts, revitalise and nurture church unity and the Asian ecumenical movement, and develop contextual theological foundations.

Programmes: Asian Movement for Christian Unity (AMCU); Congress of Asian Theologians (CATS); Asian women doing theology in the context of wider ecumenism; contextualisation of theology in Asia and ecumenical theological education.

The EF programme area focuses on nurturing and developing ecumenical leaders in Asia. The programme aims to enhance spiritual formation and theological understanding, enabling people to actively engage in ecumenical dialogue and collaboration.

Programmes: Ecumenical Enablers’ Training in Asia (EETA); Asian Ecumenical Institute (AEI); Youth and Women Leadership Development; Ecumenical Spirituality and Nurturing of Contextual Liturgical Traditions; Asia Sunday

Building Peace and Moving Beyond Conflicts (BP) and Prophetic Diakonia and Advocacy (PD)

The BP programme area is dedicated to promoting peace, justice, and reconciliation in Asia’s diverse contexts. Through training, advocacy, and dialogue, the programme addresses the root causes of conflicts, empowers communities, and fosters sustainable peacebuilding initiatives.

Programmes: Pastoral Solidarity Visits; Churches in Action for Moving Beyond Conflict and Resolution; Young Ambassadors of Peace in Asia (YAPA); Ecumenical Women’s Action Against Violence (EWAAV); Eco-Justice for Sustainable Peace in the Oikos.

The PD programme area focuses on promoting justice, human rights, and social transformation in Asia. Through advocacy, capacity-building, and raising awareness, the programme addresses systemic injustice, empowers marginalised communities, and advocates for prophetic actions and meaningful change.

Programmes: Human Rights advocacy; Migration, Statelessness, and Trafficking in Persons; Asian Ecumenical Disability Advocacy Network; Asian Advocacy Network on the Dignity and Rights of Children (AANDRoC); Ecumenical Solidarity Accompaniment and Diakonia in Asia (ESADA); Health and Healing; Good Governance; Action Together to Combat HIV and AIDS in Asia (ATCHAA).

No preference updated.

23 November 2018
Mr. Agus Salim Chamidi presenting the Islamic Perspective in responding to HIV and AIDS

An interfaith national consultation organized by the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) affirmed that every religion in the world has moral authority and influence to use specific beliefs, morals, and theology to reach out its adherents to work together in developing an interfaith response to HIV and AIDS

Organized as part of CCA’s special project, the Action Together in Combating HIV and AIDS in Asia (ATCHAA), the consultation brought together representatives of twenty Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, and Muslim religions as well as from Confucianism. They discussed the role of faith-based institutions and organizations in responding to HIV and AIDS epidemic in the country.

The consultation was held at the Jakarta Theological Seminary in Indonesia from 18 to 22 November 2018.

The interfaith worship services throughout the consultation recognized religious and cultural expressions of different religions and sought the guidance of the Divine for a productive and a relevant way forward in combating HIV and AIDS in Indonesia.

UNAIDS country director, Tina Boonto presented the current HIV and AIDS situation in Asia and the Pacific highlighting the challenges of Indonesia.

While expressing appreciation in organizing a relevant, and timely interfaith consultation in Indonesia, Ms. Boonto said, even though the case of HIV is decreasing in Indonesia, there is increasing stigma and discrimination due to restrictive and restraining laws.

Speaking on the Buddhist perspective on addressing the problems of HIV and AIDS, Venerable Suhadi Sendjaja, Chairman of Parisadha Buddha Dharma Niciren Syosyu said suffering such as HIV and AIDS is due to negative energies, which should be erased.

The Islamic perspective was presented by Agus Salim Chamidi from Institute Agama Islam Nahdlatul Ulama (IAINU).

“Islamic teachings view HIV from the perspectives of three concepts; humanity, rehabilitation and prevention”, and Slim Chamidi added that based on these concepts “there is need to reach out to people, collaborate with other religions and academic institutions, make empowered groups and support communities as well as to initiate combating HIV / AIDS”.

Dr. Nur Arif from Natul Ulama added that the spread of HIV /AIDS should be approached both as a faith and cultural issue from an Islamic perspective.

“In a cultural approach, we need to start living with them, and assist them in developing strategies to address the issue”, said Dr. Nur Anif.

Mr.Ida Bagus Sutakertya of Ketua Parisadha Hindu Dharma Indonesia presented Hindu religious perspective to combat HIV and AIDS. He shared information on how Hindus in Papua are collaborating with other faiths in order to combat the spread of the epidemic.

Dr. Erwiani Sutono from the MATAKIN of the Supreme Council of Confucians in Indonesia emphasized the value of family relationships and achieving harmony. Confucianists respond to the epidemic by holistic approach to human life.

Speaking on the Christian perspective Dr. Alphinus Kambodji emphasized that we need to use the scripture and revisit the text to understand the impact of the problem of HIV and AIDS menace contextually.

During the deliberations, the representative group of Indonesia’s religions observed that “faith-based organizations (FBOs) have played important roles in health and healing ministries in developing countries. In Asia and the Pacific, faith, and religion play important roles in the lives of the people. FBOs not only provide spiritual guidance to their followers, but they are often the primary providers of a variety of health and social services. Faith-based organizations and institutions rooted in communities build mutual trust, and they have the ability to influence the attitude and behaviour of fellow believers. In some traditional communities, religious leaders are often more influential than local government officials or secular community leaders”.

The participants discussed on various challenges and key issues of HIV and AIDS in relation to their own faith, and they highlighted the need to use the faith platform to bring awareness, to prevent HIV, to provide necessary care and support, and advocate within faiths and governments.

The participants agreed to revisit their scriptures in the context of HIV and re-affirms theology of compassion and inclusiveness.