An interconfessional round table took place in Sevastopol’

On April 27, 2009, in the city of Sevastopol’, Crimea, an interconfessional round table took place, «Strengthening the role of the Churches and religious organizations of the city of Sevastopol’ of Crimea to prevent and control the AIDS epidemic.» The organizers were the Commission on Questions of Social Service of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations, the Interconfessional Resource Center on AIDS, which operates on the basis of the charitable foundation Faith. Hope. Love, and the representative office of UNAIDS in Ukraine (the program of UN to fight the AIDS epidemic.) Taking part in the round table were representatives of the Churches and religious organizations of the city of Sevastopol’ and Crimea, representatives of health care institutions of the city, the departments of education and implementation of prison sentences, and representatives of civic organizations.  As Fr. Andriy Nahirnyak, executive secretary of the commission, noted: “Regardless of all the positive aspects of the work which is today carried out by Churches and religious organizations, we face a number of difficulties: - coordinating and developing a single format of co-operation among civic and state organizations and religious groups;  - bringing the representatives of Churches and religious organizations to work in regional councils on questions of preventing the spread of the HIV/AIDS infection; - involving more widely Churches and religious organizations in organizing and conducting activities on questions of AIDS and reporting on such activities of Churches and religious organizations in the media.” The participants of the round table reached an agreement regarding the necessity of having a representative of the Churches and religious organizations in the city’s coordinating council on questions of AIDS; it was decided to send letters to leaders of Churches and religious organizations in the region in which the participants expressed their conviction that, to overcome the extremely negative tendency of the spread of AIDS and problems related to it, it is necessary to combine the effort of Churches and religious organizations to make a single format of interconfessional cooperation and assistance with civic and local government structures. A letter was also sent to the Sevastopol’ State Administration and the City Council with a request to take into account the general position of Churches and religious organizations in particular in relation to the moral and ethical principles of fighting the AIDS epidemic, instrumental in bringing representatives of the Churches and religious organizations into all stages of forming a policy of effective response to the epidemic – planning, introducing, monitoring and assessing in the process of decision making. Churches and religious organizations of Ukraine organize numerous activities and projects directed at fighting AIDS in Ukraine: conducting conferences, round tables and educational seminars, creating rehabilitation centers, organizing informational and educational work among the clergy, young people and adults, and pastoral care for those  infected with HIV, including children and prisoners.

The information was given by Fr. Andriy Nahirnyak