Cardinal McCarrick Releases Pastoral Letter on HIV/AIDS

The archbishop of Washington called for compassion, care and prevention such as early testing, education, public funding and "addressing the crisis of values that so often leads to the spread of HIV/AIDS."

The full text is online at www.adw.org/social/soc_index.html.

"We must walk in solidarity with those who are living with HIV/AIDS and with those at risk," said Cardinal McCarrick. "As witnesses of Christ, we are called to respect the dignity of each person and to promote healthy living -- physically, spiritually, morally and psychologically -- through prevention and treatment."

In "The Fullness of Life," Cardinal McCarrick calls, among other things, for:

-- Catholic Church leaders, clergy and teachers to "proclaim the Church's teaching" on HIV/AIDS.

-- a "more loving and compassionate response ... caring for those infected and affected by the disease [and] promoting the truth about human sexuality."

-- the right to health care for every person.

-- improved health care worldwide, cooperation by and among pharmaceutical companies to make drugs available at affordable prices, and efforts to eliminate poverty and other factors that contribute to HIV/AIDS.

-- prayer and respect for human dignity.