MEDICAL-SOCIAL SUBJECTS

1. The first thing that somebody is expecting to hear from a Church representative is that the disease is God’s punishment, the result of His anger at people’s disobedience to His law. Many preachers have contributed to this, as they accuse sinful people of being justifiably punished. To them, God punishes, revenges, hates sinners and burns them to hell. This cannot possibly be true. According to the Gospel, God does not get angry, He does not revenge, He is not pleased about human sufferings. God is not responsible for these sufferings because he is gracious, merciful and forgiving. God is Love. It is the sinner itself who is responsible for his suffering. It is his free and uninfluenced choice to sin - as God does not interfere in human affairs. The sinner himself has chosen to reject God’s grace and enlightenment. The one who runs, punts and the one who swims wearing a watch, destroys it. And, he who break His law condemns himself to punishment.

2. At first, AIDS appeared to be a disease concerning only homosexual people. Science proved that bisexual and heterosexual people can also be infected, as long as their sexual behavior has no limits. People that change partners and abuse their instincts to satisfy the flesh are in danger. Under a mask of «sexual liberation», perversion was accepted by a lot of people. The laws of nature are being violated by people, who in turn are being punished for it. Nature takes its revenge e.g. ecological imbalance is the consequence of the anarchy in human activity. Church does not deny sex and considers it a God’s gift to us. Church actually denies the separation between the flesh and the spirit. Sex is not the instant satisfaction of the flesh. It is connected with both parts of human nature: the physical and the spiritual. It brings them both together so it helps human to discover the meaning of life. The Church teaches that the true sexual life refers to the participation of all qualities of the partners that leads to both physical and spiritual union i.e. human perfection. Satisfaction of the flesh is only the image of the true sex; it is unsatisfied passion, a one-sided and incompatible relationship with psychopathological imbalances. Within the Church the union of two people is blessed in the eyes of God. Therefore the Church aims at the personal transformation and regeneration of the partners, at keeping them away from selfishness which is feeded by the flesh. To have a true sexual life is not only taking, it is also giving; it is mainly giving. Sex has been isolated the other basic sides of human life and the result is AIDS. Our society promotes and forgives ephemeral and premarital sexual relationships, even adultery. We would betray our mission as servants of the Church if we were to silence before this phenomenon, if we didn’t emphasize the value of Love and Faith within the marriage, if we didn’t call people back to continence and respect of their body as well as their partner’s; to us, Christians, our body is the Temple of God, it’s one member of Jesus’ body. Magic Johnson’s case has shocked his fans across the world. Peter Vinecy, a ‘USA Today’ ’s journalist comments: «I am shocked but not surprised. Magic Johnson’s sexual behavior over the last 12 years left him a victim of his instincts and exposed him to death".

3. Greek people have been alienated from their traditional way of life by foreign patterns. Foreigners are not to blame for having their own way of life. It is our responsibility and above all the state’s that our traditional culture has been undermined by European, that our people finally believed that the western life-style is better than the Greek one. Young people swallow everything that is modern and western. Mass media propose the hedonistic, the amorous, the amoral. Then, people are tempted to believe that this is the true; but western people are not as perverted as they appear in mass media. All the elements of our tradition are being destroyed-though at a slow rate. Institutions like the family are being considered old-fashioned. We would be hypocritical if we fought AIDS or drugs and tolerated our tradition’s being undermined. On the one hand we are trying to fight the enemy. On the other hand we are leaving the rear unguarded. The Church is not conservative, it does not deny progress. It is only the guard of a tradition that is always opportune and vigorous. AIDS having appeared, everybody must return to a moral life i.e. the institution of family. The sexual revolution is not the solution to the problem; it is the dissolution; it created illusions to people that are now in danger. The solution is the return to the family, the monogamous and wise sexual relationship. People should repent for good, not temporarily. That’s not an easy thing to do. They will adapt themselves to circumstances and return to a moral life... until AIDS has become curable; then they will declare their «independence» again... until a new disease has brought them to their senses. But is this the behavior of free people? Is it wise that we only fear a punishing God?

4. A small child appeared on a leaflet in France saying to other children : "I have AIDS! Will you play with me? Please, say ‘yes’!". That brings forward the issue of how society treats HIV positives or AIDS patients. Various symptoms of mass hysteria have appeared. AIDS patients are losing their jobs, doctors are refusing their being examined, families through them out and people suggest they should be put in a ghetto. This is a peculiar unchristian and inhuman form of racism. The European Union has already prohibited medical examinations at the borders as this would mean personalities’ being devalued. Recent research has proved that not only homosexuals can be infected; therefore they must not be stigmatized. No one can judge others as everybody’s in danger. We all must follow the example of the Holy Fathers of the Church and discover a spiritual approach to pain and disease. This will let us treat patients properly. Our selfish society treats other people’s dramas with inhumanity; it tries to find sacrificial lambs so as to get rid of its sins. Patients are not cursed and their illness is not only their fault. They are our brothers and sisters and they need our love and affection. Besides "Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her". Many patients, as they were coming closer to death, became real philosophers, Antony Perkins, a little while before his death (13.9.92) said: "Many people think that AIDS is God’s revenge. I think that it is sent so that people learn to love each other, to have compassion and understanding. I have learnt more about love and altruism by patients than anywhere else in this competitive and merciless world". He expressed the real humanity and solidarity that people have as a result of their disease. Theologos Gregorios says about the leper of his era: he calls them "wretched corpses", "a dreadful and miserable view", "living dead", and "lonely and isolated" from other people who, at this time, thought that illness had been worse than ill-will. "Those lepers feel the need to take part in Mass". We can see the similarity with AIDS patients. They are isolated and despised. Some return to God and hope. Others hate society as responsible for their being patients. Our society yielded before AIDS and has been proved to be selfish, egocentric and unable to understand a person’s drama. Holy Fathers of the Church show their love in fact. St. Basil not only did he treat his patients himself, he also kissed their ulcers. Other monks used to live with lepers in their cells so that they could treat them until their death. There are examples like those today; doctors and nurses treat AIDS patients with self-sacrifice, love and human understanding. Public opinion should be more sensitive; but we must not be disappointed. We need a lot of time and struggle to know how to live Christian life. People praise health and praise illness. Gregorios preaches: "Do not admire health and do not curse illness". Many times health leads to the sin and illness to the salvation. AIDS patients, after the first shock, compromise with the idea of death, come closer to God and ask for His mercy. An AIDS patient might have more of God’s Grace than a healthy one; he is closer to death, so has to overcome it. In France, foreigners should leave the country according to a new law. Twenty doctors wrote to the Minister of Health. "Many of us have foreign AIDS patients that will have to leave the country. If they leave, their life will be in danger. All these patients are now alive because they live in a country that has Social Care and where there are no discriminations". This example shows that some people are sensitive. But we all have to do our duty to justify our civilization.

5. The healthy have the responsibility to show humanity and solidarity to the patients who in turn must be responsible for protecting the healthy. The fact, that newspapers revealed, that a patient was infecting on purpose healthy people so as to revenge society was tragic. The respect for the life and health is an essential moral value. French Bishops say: "Patients have the responsibility to be careful so as not to infect others. We call everybody to consider the weight these people feel on them. They feel that their own lives are in danger. In the years to come thousands of people will be HIV positive. The problem is whether they will find the strength to meet hope and other signs of God’s affection." Patients or HIV positives have been proved to have psychological troubles while society is still unable to adapt and help the stigmatized. This increases the patients’ agony and makes it more difficult for them to overcome panic. At first patients are in panic but afterwards they compromise with their condition. They must mobilize their spiritual power and fight, with the help of other people, even though nothing seems to justify optimism. But the hope that a person carries is unlimited as well as is his will.

6. Now we come to protection. Our state’s policy is based on the motto: "say ‘yes’ to Love, ‘no’ to AIDS" and the condom appears as a means of protection against the disease. I think that this leads to a deadlock. Somebody said: "Fighting AIDS with condoms is like fight lung cancer with cigarette filters". We should not give these kinds of solutions to our people and let them live an amoral life. It would be better if we thought our children the responsible, traditional, moral and Christian way of life. A few years ago, there was a TV series and its hero was a bank robber who always managed to succeed. I think that our states tries to teach the children to protect themselves against AIDS similarly: "use a condom and you will be safe". But this could not possibly be the aim of a state. We cannot encourage people to have a perverted sexual life, the one that separates the spiritual from the biological and degrades sex to an automatic and mechanical action, preventing people from reaching the true union. The president of the Greek society for AIDS comments: "The problem cannot be solved by the condom... a lot of effort is needed. Everybody must be persuaded that sex is not the only way that a couple can communicate!". We do not propose the abolition of the condom. We just do not agree to its being advertised: people can still enjoy ephemeral sex with strangers without risking their health! The Church cannot agree to this proposal that excludes ‘a prori’ the monogamous relationship within the traditional marriage. We do not demand that the state teaches morality; but the least it can do is to follow the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) guidelines: "the best way to avoid contracting AIDS with sex is to have a monogamous relationship with a faithful healthy partner or not to have a sexual life at all. Otherwise you must avoid having sex with prostitutes or people that had many partners. Somebody that has sex with anyone that might have been infected must use a condom during the whole intercourse". ‘WHO’ proposes the new ideas about protection. More value is given to monogamous relationships. Then, to the abstinence from sex and finally to the use of the condom by people who cannot hold back. ‘WHO’ agrees with the Church. Our state has got other opinions about that. Even TV comedians satirise monogamous relationships. It is high time that we told the youth: "the best means of protection is the continence and sex only within the marriage!". This is the only way to take the bull by the horns. The condom must be proposed as the last and extreme of protection as it cannot absolutely provide it. The best protection is people’s becoming spiritually mature allowing everybody to see the image of God on each other’s face. The exastance of AIDS is the result of the social inefficiency and the crisis of moral principles and beliefs. An honest information and sex education can help people find the value of sex. The Church does not only say ‘no’ to a certain behaviour but it also proposes a new meaningful life-style, a new ideal. If we accept this ideal we will clearly see that human dignity is insulted when a campaign against AIDS is based far from the real meaning of sex and finally leads to social corruption. Socrates said that it is wrong to separate Health from Prudence.

7. Latest researches doubt that the virus is responsible for the fatal disease. It is said that it might be a risky way of life that leads to death. Therefore, everybody should be informed about this way of life. "Condoms and to-be-used-once syringes can stop the transmission of hepatitis and of other diseases but they do not protect anybody from immunodeficiencies caused by heroin, cocaine and antibiotics abuse. Therefore, advertising condoms and syringes without informing aboutthe dangersof this way of life results in the spread of the disease" (Petr Duesberg and Byran Ellison). It is high time that we accused those that mislead people. It is the Church that proposes the truth: a change in life-style is needed according to God’s will. Medications can only prolong life. A meaningless prolonged life is a terrifying prison. We have to overcome death, not only to prolong life. George Bush denied free condoms for his people: «I will never do that. It’s not right to renounce a way of life, the institution of family, all the fundamental values". He also denied free syringes: "I think that this will encourage the use of drugs therefore I do not approve it".

8. AIDS is a problem for the Church. The Church must act upon the healthy and the patient, upon the society and the youth. It must face the difficulties and inspire patients to have hope, be their companion and strike at the heart of racism. It must declare AIDS to be a symptom of an alienated life-style. It must overcome selfishness and the true sexual life. It must mobilise volunteers to give courage and hope to the miserable victims, to prevent them from being stigmatised and to fight panic. It must teach everybody that there is no such thing as ‘safe sex’ and every member of the Church must become a pioneer in the struggle against AIDS like many clergymen from LA who volunteered to probe new medications against AIDS. Church is today the patient’s shelter. Jesus gives them hope and strength. A 26-year-old Greek patient says: «I never liked permanent relationships as I didn’t want any comitments. On summer holidays I had many ‘adventures’ with Greek and foreign girls. I would lough when a friend told me about AIDS. I had been frivolous, immature and ungrateful to life and God". But why is he using His name so often? "I have returned to God. I spend hours reading the gospel. What a love and strength it hides! What messages! When you believe it, it gladdens your heart. Why should I know His Greatness now that is so late... I am very sad that I haven’t yet managed to get strength and hope from God so that I can live without the fear and thank His name for every moment of the life that He grants me."

The Church has always stood by the patients and everybody who has suffered. Now it feels it is called personally to deal with the new human drama. He can hear the victims saying: "I want to live". We can hear the youth saying: "We want to live the true life". We can hear others saying "We will solve the problem with quackeries". We can also hear St. Paul saying: "Speaking the truth in love...". And finally we reply: "There is hope! Overcome your fears with love! You, young people, be mature and responsible! We need a new orientation. Near Jesus there is security, dignity and life is meaningful. Let AIDS teach us all to love each other, to share one another’s pains and to live with understanding. It’s up to us to change the curse into the opportunity to reveal our spirituality and humanity"!

• This is the text of a talk given by His Reverence Metropolitan Christodoulos of Demetrias (now Archbishop of Athens and all Greece)