​     CHICAGO (ELCA) – In observance of World AIDS Day, Dec. 1, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) affirms this church’s commitment to the goals outlined in the ELCA Strategy on HIV and AIDS. The goals include stopping the spread of the epidemic through prevention, treatment and care; eliminating the stigma experienced by those who are HIV-positive; and reducing the conditions of poverty that contribute to the spread of the disease.
“The ELCA Strategy on HIV and AIDS affirms that the body of Christ has AIDS,” said Ulysses Burley, program associate, ELCA strategy on HIV and AIDS. “We are church together, and people infected and affected by HIV and AIDS include members of this church and people of faith and goodwill around the world. When one member of the body of Christ suffers, the rest of the body suffers with them.”

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