Kenyan Anglican Church Official Apologizes for Likening HIV/AIDS to ‘Curse From God’
Kenyan Anglican Archbishop Benjamin Nzimbi on behalf of the church on Wednesday apologized to HIV-positive people for comparing the disease to a "curse from God," Kenya's Nation/AllAfrica.com reports. Nzimbi -- who was speaking at an AIDS workshop in Nairobi, Kenya, attended by Christian and Muslim leaders from several African countries -- said, "We apologize for earlier abandoning our flock, which was as a result of our ignorance of the disease, but today we are more informed" (Nation/AllAfrica.com, 3/16). According to BBC News, discrimination in the Anglican Church has led to the excommunication of some HIV-positive members, and HIV/AIDS advocates say some Muslims have been killed because of their status. Clergy member Gideon Byamugisha, who is HIV-positive, said political and religious leaders should publicly disclose their status in order to fight stigma (BBC News, 3/16). "HIV/AIDS is an extremely timid disease which is vulnerable to the right information," Byamugisha said, adding, "Once society is informed, stigma and discrimination become a thing of the past" (Nation/AllAfrica.com, 3/16).
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