Pope Calls for Unity in the Fight Against HIV/AIDS

Says Advances in Treatment Should Be Matched to Promote Dignity of Those Affected by Virus

Advances in the treatment of HIV/AIDS “give witness to the possibilities for beneficial outcome when all sectors of society unite in common purpose.”

This was the sentiment expressed by Pope Francis to the 6,000 participants of the International AIDS Society’s 8th Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention.

The Holy Father sent a message to the conference through Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin. It was addressed to Dr. Julio Montaner, Director of the British Columbia Center of Excellence in HIV/AIDS at St. Paul’s Hospital, Vancouver, and Co-Chairperson of the Conference.

The 78-year-old Pontiff 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.”

According to Caritas, Dr. Montaner shed tears after reading the Holy Father’s letter, saying: “I love Pope Francis!…If he ‘gets’ it, on the need for early treatment of HIV, why are some scientists still debating this?”

St. Paul’s is a Catholic-inspired institution, founded by the Sisters of Providence, and has distinguished itself for HIV care as well as cutting-edge scientific research to demonstrate that early diagnosis and treatment of people living with HIV not only saves lives but also is 96% effective in preventing the further spread of the disease. Thus the major focus of this year’s Conference is “Treatment as Prevention”.

International public health experts affirmed that they now have indisputable scientific evidence that HIV/AIDS could be ended as a public health emergency by 2030 if at least 90% of all people living with HIV could be properly diagnosed, and started on effective anti-retroviral treatment to lower the amount of virus in their bodies and thus drastically decrease the number of new HIV infections in all parts of the world. (J.A.E.)

Pope Calls for Unity in the Fight Against HIV/AIDS

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During the Canada Post strike announced September 25, 2025, the following measures will be undertaken to minimize service disruption to BC-CfE clients and providers.

  • The BC-CfE Laboratory has transitioned to private courier for delivery of outgoing reports and documents. Results required urgently can be faxed upon request. (Lab Contact Information: Phone 604-806-8775; FAX 604-806-9463)
  • The BC-CfE Drug Treatment Program (DTP) will fax outgoing forms and documents to the provider’s office. (DTP Contact Information: Phone 604-806-8515; FAX 604-806-9044)
  • St. Paul’s Hospital Ambulatory Pharmacy has transitioned to private courier for delivery of medications. We recommend requesting medication at least 2 weeks in advance in case of delivery delays, particularly to rural/remote parts of BC. (Contact Information: Phone 1-800-547-3622; FAX 604-806-8675)

During the Canada Post strike, we recommend that documents be faxed or couriered to our sites, versus utilization of regular mail service

The BC-CfE Laboratory is streamlining reporting processes for certain tests in order to simplify distribution and record-keeping, and to ensure completeness of results. Beginning September 2, 2025, results for the ‘Resistance Analysis of HIV-1 Protease and Reverse Transcriptase’ (Protease-RT) and ‘HIV-1 Integrase Resistance Genotype’ tests will be combined into a single ‘HIV-1 Resistance Genotype Report’.
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