HIV workers turn to ancient healing arts

Traditional techniques aimed as helping body and mind

ucanews.com reporter, Yangon
Myanmar
February 15, 2011

Catholic Church News Image of HIV workers turn to ancient healing arts

HIV/Aids workers practice massage techniques in Yangon

Myanmar care workers have undergone a course on simple ancient healing skills in order to help soothe the body and minds of HIV/Aids patients.

Some 20 nuns, lay people and a Muslim who care for HIV/Aids patients attended the ‘Capacitor training’ course at the Catholic Religious Conference of Myanmar compound, Yangon February 12-13.

The Myanmar Catholic HIV/Aids network (MCHAN) organized the two-day program.

Sister Eileen Brady, a Maryknoll nun and capacitor trainer from Timor Leste said physical and psychological health is continuously affected by trauma, violence, weather, diet and environment.

We taught the participants simple healing techniques such as controlled breathing, as well as head, neck, and hand massage and meditation, she said.

“Patients with HIV suffer a lot physically, but they also suffer more psychologically due to discrimination and stigma, said Maryknoll Sister Mary Grenough, the coordinator of MCHAN.

“So I decided to do something for them and organized this course which I believe will help us interact with HIV/aids sufferers and provide patients with renewed energy and better health,” she added.

Aung Naing Win, a Muslim care worker and the founder of the Interfaith Youth Coalition on HIV/Aids said his organization has been working for more than a decade and has over 50,000 members but had never used any of these healing.

“I quickly realized that these techniques would be very useful for our work especially when patients are experiencing trauma and depression,” she told ucanews.com

Sein Kyi, a Karuna worker in Loikaw diocese said she just used to make house calls and give medicine to patients.

“These capacitor techniques will provide relief for our patients in both body and mind when we make future house calls,” she said.

MCHAN was established in July 2010 and its goal is to tackle a growing HIV/Aids threat through the creation and strengthening of a network of Church groups, organizations and individuals.

MY13269.1641

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Rev. George Abraham

India is a secular nation.No religion is superior and no one is inferior in the eyes of the law in India. Every relion has the right to practice and propagate their relireligion. But it should without harming others.If any one violates the essence of it, no protection should be given to such bad characters by any religion and such incidents should never be given a communal cover.

In this incicedent, Komban Shaji and his brother Rajan are the culprits who caused the first provopcation.May be they are Catholics as per records. But it is quiet possible that they may not be practicing catholics and never a true Christian.Their association with the church may be to create some nuisance in the name of some festival. Most probably, they not attnd the church service in its true sense. These two brothers who exhort money are said to be Catholics because these two were never excommunicated church so far on account of their activities. The Church must be morally responsible for the misconduct of its members.

Incidently, both the culprits are brothers and Catholics. Had they been just friends from different religions, the communal colour would not have been given to them and a particular religion would have never come up against another religion.There is no religious aspect at all in their case.Their case is purely a matter of goondaism. Hand them over to the law. Never give any protection to them by the church.

Call for a dialogue between the higher ups of both the religions. Never retaliate against one another. God is common for all irrespecive of their religions. There is no difference between a Catholic culprit or Muslim culprit or Hindu culprit. A culprit must be seen a culprit and never on the lines of one’s religion. All the miscreants belong to the same religion and they are the enemies of mankind.

Our life on the earth is very short. Live peacefully and let others live peacefully.
There is no difference in blood. One man’s blood will match with another man’s blood without showing any difference of religions. It may show the difference of groups but never their religions.

Dont allow our nation to shed blood unnessarily. Let our nation remain proud for its tolerance to every religions.