The 219th General Assembly (2010) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) adopted the resolution, “Becoming an HIV and AIDS Competent Church: Prophetic Witness and Compassionate Action” in exercise of its responsibility to help the whole church address matters of “social righteousness.” The resolution identifies issues impacting people living with HIV and AIDS such as poverty, gender inequality and cultural and traditional practices, both in the United States and globally. It recommends to the PC(USA) a response of compassionate action and prophetic witness. In 2008, the World Council of Churches started promoting HIV-competent churches, which called for churches to develop the institutional and theological capacity as well as leadership and resources to respond to the pandemic.
Highlights of the report include:
- current status of the pandemic, including a section on global sex trafficking;
- where Scripture calls us to be: compassionate in action, prophetic in witness;
- marginalizing social forces/root causes;
- the dynamics of power and the persistence of HIV and AIDS; and
- becoming an HIV and AIDS competent church.
The report calls for the PC(USA) to become an HIV and AIDS competent denomination and address the systemic problems that exacerbates the spread of HIV and AIDS.
Staff from the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations attended the recent High-Level Meeting on AIDS.