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Vol. 45 No. 48
February 21, 2007 |
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U.S. funding for HIV/AIDS work lauded
(CNS) |
Washington (CNS) — Catholic social ministry leaders
got an unusual message Feb. 12 as they were preparing for a
day of lobbying on Capitol Hill: Thank your legislators for
supporting the funding of a massive program to combat the
spread of the global AIDS/HIV pandemic.
On many issues that Catholic social activists bring up with
their senators and representatives, they are challenging
current legislation or seeking politically unpopular
legislative reforms.
On the Presidential Emergency Program for AIDS Relief,
however, “every year the president has asked for a certain
amount of money Congress has always given more,” said Oblate
Father Andrew Small of the U.S. bishops’ Office of
International Justice and Peace.
A briefing on the program, commonly referred to as PEPFAR,
was one of numerous sessions on specific legislative issues
that participants at the annual Catholic Social Ministries
Gathering attended to prepare for meetings with their
legislators in Washington.
“Say, ‘Thanks for your support for this, but we don’t want
you to think in any way that this is over,’” Father Small
said.
Bill O’Keefe, senior director of advocacy at Catholic Relief
Services, told some 70 social ministry leaders at the
briefing that, while “we’ve made great progress in Congress”
so far, the program “ends at the end of 2008 unless Congress
reauthorizes it.”
“We’re talking here about a problem that keeps getting
worse. We need a solution that keeps getting bigger and
better,” he said.
He said CRS is engaged in effective treatment and prevention
programs using PEPFAR funds, but before the conscience
clause was enacted it had no access to those funds because
it refused to include condom distribution in its education
and prevention programs.
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Last modified:
11/21/2007
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