Pope Francis sends message to AIDS conference
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has expressed his “esteem” for the work and dedication treating HIV/AIDS requires in a message to the six thousand participants in the Opening Session of the International AIDS Society’s 8th Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention in Vancouver, Canada.
The message was sent through the Holy See’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
In the message, Pope Francis gave thanks for the lives saved by Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Treatment (HAART) and for the use of “Treatment as Prevention” and noted that such efforts “give witness to the possibilities for beneficial outcome when all sectors of society unite in common purpose.”
Finally, he assured the participants of his prayers “that all advances in pharmacology, treatment, and research will be matched by a firm commitment to promote the integral development of each person as a beloved child of God.”