African Pastor : 'Jesus Was An Aids Victim'

[Cao Pi]

African Pastor : 'Jesus Was An Aids Victim'

7:14pm, Friday September 03, 2010
Emma Hurd, Africa correspondent

A South African pastor has caused outrage by preaching a sermon entitled "Jesus was HIV positive".

Some Christians accuse the reverend of portraying Jesus as sexually promiscuous

Reverend Xola Skosana said his sermon was designed to combat the stigma surrounding HIV and Aids. "My responsibility as a pastor is to paint a picture of a God who cares for people and wants the best for them, not who judges them and is ashamed of them," he told the Mail And Guardian newspaper. The reverend preaches at the non-denominational Way of Life church in Khayelitsha, near Cape Town, a township with one of the highest rates of HIV in South Africa.

Last month Skosana, who has lost two of his sisters to Aids, underwent an HIV test in front of his congregation, along with more than 100 young people from the township. His approach has been praised by Aids campaigners in South Africa. But some Christians have accused him of portraying Jesus as sexually promiscuous.

Former president Thabo Mbeki fought the claims of Aids campaigners

"They're saying you can't reconcile Jesus and Aids," he said. "But in many parts of the Bible God put himself in the position of the sick and the marginalised," the reverend said. He has called for more churches to address the issue of HIV in their sermons to try to end the stigma surrounding the virus.

The Catholic Church in the country has avoided discussion of Aids, while continuing to oppose the use of condoms. An estimated 1,000 people a day die of Aids-related illnesses in South Africa.

The nation is still working to correct the damage done by the years of "Aids denialism" under the leadership of former president Thabo Mbeki. Mr Mbeki, who was ousted from office in 2008, delayed the roll out of life-saving anti retro-viral drugs, while his health minister suggested a diet of beetroot and garlic could cure the virus.