South African Pastor Says 'Jesus Was HIV-Positive' To Boost AIDS Awareness

CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA - A pastor preached a sermon entitled "Jesus was HIV-positive" to raise awareness of the "serious issue" of AIDS in South Africa, The Guardian reported Thursday.

Xola Skosana said he was trying to raise awareness and break what he regards as a conspiracy of silence over HIV by South African churches. Skosana took an HIV test in front of his congregation last weekend at his non-denominational Way of Life Church in Cape Town, along with 100 young people.

Skosana, 43, who lost two sisters to AIDS, said he chose the title for his sermon to draw attention to the diseases at a time when almost 1,000 people were dying of AIDS-related illnesses every day. "In many parts of the Bible, God put himself in the position of the destitute, the sick and the marginalized," he said.

He added: "When we attend to those who are sick, we are attending to Him. When we ignore people who are sick, we are ignoring Him. If I went to church and never heard the pastor talk about this, I would assume I must go home and die in silence. The message is that it's an unpardonable sin, and we must just forget about HIV / AIDS. My responsibility as a pastor is to open a Bible and 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."

Skosana said he would not disclose the result of his own HIV test in case it put pressure on the other churchgoers who undertook the test to make theirs public.

South Africa's National AIDS Council Chairman Mark Heywood praised Skosana, saying: "It's very important that church leaders set an example, destigmatizing HIV and encouraging testing so people know their status. There are many churches that have done a lot to combat HIV. The problem is that the church as a whole has not been vocal enough. We would like to hear a clearer message."

The South African Council of Churches was not available for comment.