PRNewswire - November 2, 2006

Yesterday, leaders from the National Catholic AIDS Network (NCAN), the Secretariat for Hispanic Affairs of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), the Secretariat for African American Catholics of the USCCB, and The Leadership Campaign on AIDS, a program in the Office of HIV/AIDS Policy in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, joined with Cardinal Francis George, Archbishop of Chicago and Vice President of the USCCB, Admiral Kenneth Moritsugu, Acting U.S. Surgeon General, and Dr. Kevin Fenton, Director of the National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in a second annual conference call to help raise awareness about HIV/AIDS and to share World AIDS Day resources for Catholic parishes.

"We will soon be observing World AIDS Day, an event that is observed each December 1st, and this is an opportunity for us to focus on the important opportunities we have to improve our ministry to our brothers and sisters living with, and affected by, HIV/AIDS," said Cardinal Francis George. He continued, "It is also an opportunity for us to recognize and thank those in the church who so actively work to prevent the spread of AIDS and to take care of those living with the virus. We recall the words of the late Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, who stated in 1995, "The battle against AIDS ought to be everyone's battle."

Speakers on the call included, Cardinal Francis George, Ms. Beverly A. Carroll, Executive Director of the USCCB's Secretariat for African American Catholics, Mr. Ron Cruz, Executive Director of the USCCB's Secretariat for Hispanic Affairs, Mr. Dan Lunney, Executive Director of NCAN, Dr. Kevin Fenton, Admiral Kenneth Moritsugu, and several people from HIV/AIDS service organizations.

During the call, Dr. Kevin Fenton and Admiral Kenneth Moritsugu talked about the importance of HIV testing in stopping the spread of HIV. Dr. Fenton discussed the recent release of the CDC's new testing guidelines which recommend that all Americans aged 13-64 get tested for HIV as part of their routine health care.

Several speakers highlighted success stories from work within their communities and also put forth recommendations of next steps leaders in the Catholic Church can take to help stop the spread of HIV/AIDS. As Ms. Carroll said, "we need to remember the three Ts in addressing HIV/AIDS in our parish communities: talk, get tested, and access treatment."

A transcript of the call is available at, http://www.ncan.org/news/00000093.cfm

For additional information please visit,

http://www.usccb.org/hispanicaffairs/hivaids.shtml

http://www.ncan.org

http://www.nbccongress.org/

http://www.omhrc.gov/hivaidsobservances/world/index.html

SOURCE National Catholic AIDS Network

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