ENTOTO, Ethiopia, 25 May: Desperate Ethiopians, flocking to an ancient mountain north of the capital, Addis Ababa, seeking a “holy water” cure for AIDS have been belatedly warned by the church to keep taking their antiretroviral (ARV) medication.
– Both are gifts of God, they neither contradict nor resist each other, the Archbishop of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, Abune Paulos, said this week, adding: – You can swallow your drugs with the holy water.
Thousands of HIV-positive people from all corners of Ethiopia have visited Entoto mountain, on the northern outskirts of the capital, after local priests promised they could cure the virus.
– I found out my HIV status seven months back and packed my bags for Entoto – many people have been healed, Tesfaye Belete, a former soldier seeking treatment, told PlusNews.
Ethiopias Orthodox church has several deeply-rooted beliefs among its adherents (tilhængere). One of these is the power of Entotos “tsebel”, or holy water, to heal the sick and cast out demons. The water, which comes from a spring on the mountain, is poured onto the patients or drunk as a healing tonic.
Until Archbishop Abunes clarification, the Churchs position on the use of ARVs had been unclear and many patients believed so strongly in the power of the holy water that they stopped their ARV regimens altogether.
– A majority of holy water users believe that either HIV/AIDS is caused by an evil spirit or it is a demon by itself, said Ato Zena Berhanu, a PhD student in Addis Ababa who has researched the issue.
– There are people who believe that the only solution to HIV/AIDS is the holy water and they do not want to use the antiretroviral drugs, noted he.
A recent report by the UK satellite broadcaster Sky News on Entotos exorcisms has drawn widespread criticism of the Church for its failure to advise patients to continue with their ARV medication.
Entoto has long been a safe heaven for community outcasts and those looking for spiritual help. – Approximately 4.000 people currently reside at Entoto in search of a miracle, said Haimanot, one of the priests who performs the ceremonies.
He said patients came from all social backgrounds and lived there until they were “cured”. Healing, he added, could take anywhere from one day to several years, and supposedly manifested itself in the form of a dark discharge (udsondring) in the patients saliva (spyt).
Kilde: FN-bureauet IRINnews
