Episcopal Bishop Statement on HIV and AIDS
Episcopal News Service. June 26, 2001 [2001-171L]
June 2001
Dear President Bush and Members of Congress:
As bishops of the Episcopal Church in the United States, we ask for your support in the global fight against HIV and AIDS in the poorest countries. We do so as part of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and out of our profound sense that when one member of the body suffers, all suffer, as the Apostle Paul tells us. Our faith also calls us to "bear one another's burdens," in fidelity to Christ.
There are now 36 million people living with HIV and AIDS around the world, 70% of them in Africa. 22 million people have already died. AIDS is now the number one cause of death in Africa, surpassing malaria, and kills many more people than armed conflicts. According to a February 2001 study by the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, "In the next decade alone AIDS is projected to leave up to one-quarter of the citizens of the most acutely affected African countries dead, orphan 27 million children, reduce already marginalized economies by 20 percent, and severely strain fragile, or already failing, health and other government structures." HIV and AIDS is not only a humanitarian disaster that challenges our moral fiber, it poses serious economic and security threats to the region.
As Episcopalians, we are connected to Anglicans across the globe, spanning 164 countries. Sub-Saharan Africa is home to the largest and fastest growing population of Anglicans in the world. Our partners in that region put a face on these unimaginable statistics, telling stories of the effect of HIV-AIDS on their communities, losing educators, doctors, parents, children. Our Presiding Bishop met recently with 35 Heads of Anglican Churches from around the world. For the first time, Archbishops from Africa and elsewhere shared openly the devastation caused by the disease, and asked for our help.
To be certain, religious leaders in Africa and elsewhere have a role to play, helping to overcome the stigma and cultural obstacles to effective HIV prevention and education, advocating with their government leaders to act, and perhaps assisting in the distribution of materials and medicines. Our Church in the U.S. must play its part through direct relief and development resources, and through educating our congregations. We ask the U.S. government to do its part by taking bold action on this most critical issue. We acknowledge the strides already underway in Washington, and hope to build upon that momentum. For us, there could be no more important faith-based partnership with the government than one that begins to address the tragedy of HIV and AIDS in poor countries.
The costs are difficult to estimate. UNAIDS and the World Bank estimate $3-4.2 billion annually from all international donors for basic prevention and non-antiretroviral treatment in sub-Saharan Africa. A recent Harvard study would add another $1-3 billion for antiretroviral treatment, reaching only a small number of those infected. Clearly, there needs to be comprehensive analysis of what is needed to reduce HIV infection rates and care for those affected.
In the absence of clear projected costs, we urge you provide an annual U.S. contribution of $2 billion - $1 billion for HIV-AIDS prevention and treatment, and $1 billion for development and infrastructure needs - to launch an effective international response to HIV-AIDS. This is roughly double the current U.S. spending on these items. The United States has been the unquestioned leader in the international response to AIDS. For that, we are grateful. We ask the U.S. to continue this leadership with a strong financial commitment to combat the pandemic.
We also urge you to lead the World Bank and IMF to provide deeper debt cancellation for the poorest countries, using those institutions' own resources, to free up money for critical development needs, including HIV-AIDS programs. The United States made a bold commitment to debt relief last year, agreeing to cancel 100% of our loans to heavily-indebted poor countries, and providing $435 million to fund the initiative. The World Bank and IMF, however, agreed to cancel only 30-50% of their debts to these same countries. With only a small portion of their reserves, the World Bank and IMF could write off up to 100% of their debts to the 22 countries currently qualified under the international debt relief program, freeing $500 million each year in debt service for health and other needs, without need for additional appropriations.
These requests come with the knowledge that HIV and AIDS continue to carry a heavy burden of stigma in this country and abroad. It can be tempting to point fingers at those affected - some innocent, some not. But as we struggle to deal with our judgement of others, we must be conscious of how our actions - or inaction - will be judged. Can we watch one-quarter of some countries' people die? Can 27 million orphans be left to fend for themselves? We may not be able to solve the entire problem today, but let us not be discouraged from taking the steps necessary to begin the journey. We simply cannot walk on the other side of the path in the face of such suffering. A large international commitment, led by the United States, can stem this humanitarian crisis.
Please be assured of our thanks for your service and our continued prayers as we move forward together in this important work.
Yours sincerely,
The Most Rev. Frank T. Griswold
Presiding Bishop and Primate
Episcopal Church, USA
Alabama
The Right Rev. Henry N. Parsley, Jr.
Bishop of Alabama
The Right Rev. Onell A. Soto
Assistant Bishop of Alabama
Alaska
The Right Rev. Mark L. MacDonald
Bishop of Alaska
Arizona
The Right Rev. Robert R. Shahan
Bishop of Arizona
Arkansas
The Right Rev. Larry E. Maze
Bishop of Arkansas
California
The Right Rev. William E. Swing
Bishop of California
The Right Rev. Richard L. Shimpfky
Bishop of El Camino Real
The Right Rev. Frederick H. Borsch
Bishop of Los Angeles
The Right Rev. J. Jon Bruno
Bishop Coadjutor of Los Angeles
The Right Rev. Chester L. Talton
Bishop Suffragan of Los Angeles
The Right Rev. Robert M. Anderson
Assistant Bishop of Los Angeles
The Right Rev. Jerry A. Lamb
Bishop of Northern California
The Right Rev. Gethin B. Hughes
Bishop of San Diego
The Right Rev. John-David M. Schofield
Bishop of San Joaquin
Colorado
The Right Rev. William J. Winterrowd
Bishop of Colorado
Connecticut
The Right Rev. Andrew D. Smith
Bishop of Connecticut
The Right Rev. James E. Curry
Bishop Suffragan of Connecticut
The Right Rev. Wilfrido Ramos-Orench
Bishop Suffragan of Connecticut
Delaware
The Right Rev. Wayne P. Wright
Bishop of Delaware
District of Colombia
The Right Rev. Jane Holmes Dixon
Bishop of Washington, Pro tempore
Florida
The Right Rev. John W. Howe
Bishop of Central Florida
The Right Rev. Philip M. Duncan, II
Bishop of the Central Gulf Coast
The Right Rev. Stephen H. Jecko
Bishop of Florida
The Right Rev. Leopold Frade
Bishop of Southeast Florida
The Right Rev. John L. Said
Bishop Suffragan of Southeast Florida
The Right Rev. John B. Lipscomb
Bishop of Southwest Florida
Georgia
The Right Rev. Robert G. Tharp
Assisting Bishop of Atlanta
Hawaii
The Right Rev. Richard S. Chang
Bishop of Hawaii
Idaho
The Right Rev. Harry B. Bainbridge, II
Bishop of Idaho
Illinois
The Right Rev. William D. Persell
Bishop of Chicago
The Right Rev. Victor A. Scantlebury
Assistant Bishop of Chicago
Indiana
The Right Rev. Catherine M. Waynick
Bishop of Indianapolis
The Right Rev. Edward S. Little II
Bishop of Northern Indiana
Iowa
The Right Rev. C. Christopher Epting
Bishop of Iowa
Kansas
The Right Rev. William E. Smalley
Bishop of Kansas
The Right Rev. Vernon E. Strickland
Bishop of Western Kansas
Kentucky
The Right Rev. Edwin F. Gulick, Jr.
Bishop of Kentucky
The Right Rev. Stacy F. Sauls
Bishop of Lexington
Louisiana
The Right Rev. Charles Edward Jenkins III
Bishop of Louisiana
The Right Rev. Robert J. Hargrove, Jr.
Bishop of Western Louisiana
Maryland
Standing Committee of the Diocese of Easton
(current Ecclesiastical Authority for the Diocese)
The Right Rev. Robert W. Ihloff
Bishop of Maryland
The Right Rev. John L. Rabb
Bishop Suffragan of Maryland
Massachusetts
The Right Rev. M. Thomas Shaw, III
Bishop of Massachusetts
The Right Rev. Barbara C. Harris
Bishop Suffragan of Massachusetts
The Right Rev. Roy. F. Cederholm, Jr.
Bishop Suffragan of Massachusetts
The Right Rev. Gordon P. Scruton
Bishop of Western Massachusetts
The Right Rev. Steven Charleston
President and Dean, Episcopal Divinity School
Michigan
The Right Rev. Edwin M. Leidel, Jr.
Bishop of Eastern Michigan
The Right Rev. Wendell N. Gibbs, Jr.
Bishop of Michigan
The Right Rev. James A. Kelsey
Bishop of Northern Michigan
The Right Rev. Edward L. Lee, Jr.
Bishop of Western Michigan
Minnesota
The Right Rev. James L. Jelinek
Bishop of Minnesota
Mississippi
The Right Rev. Alfred C. Marble, Jr.
Bishop of Mississippi
The Right Rev. Duncan M. Gray, III
Bishop Coadjutor of Mississippi
Missouri
The Right Rev. Hays H. Rockwell
Bishop of Missouri
The Right Rev. Barry R. Howe
Bishop of West Missouri
Montana
Standing Committee of the Diocese of Montana
(current Ecclesiastical Authority for the Diocese)
Nebraska
The Right Rev. James E. Krotz
Bishop of Nebraska
Nevada
The Right Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori
Bishop of Nevada
New Hampshire
The Right Rev. Douglas E. Theuner
Bishop of New Hampshire
New Jersey
The Right Rev. John P. Croneberger
Bishop of Newark
The Right Rev. David B. Joslin
Assistant Bishop of New Jersey
New York
The Right Rev. David C. Bowman
Interim Bishop of Central New York
The Right Rev. Orris G. Walker, Jr.
Bishop of Long Island
The Right Rev. Rodney R. Michel
Bishop Suffragan of Long Island
The Right Rev. Richard F. Grein
Bishop of New York
The Right Rev. Mark S. Sisk
Bishop Coadjutor of New York
The Right Rev. Catherine S. Roskam
Bishop Suffragan of New York
The Right Rev. E. Don Taylor
Assistant Bishop of New York
The Right Rev. Jack M. McKelvey
Bishop of Rochester
The Right Rev. J. Michael Garrison
Bishop of Western New York
North Carolina
The Right Rev. Clifton Daniel, III
Bishop of East Carolina
The Right Rev. Michael B. Curry
Bishop of North Carolina
The Right Rev. J. Gary Gloster
Bishop Suffragan of North Carolina
The Right Rev. Robert H. Johnson
Bishop of Western North Carolina
North Dakota
The Right Rev. Andrew H. Fairfield
Bishop of North Dakota
Ohio
The Right Rev. J. Clark Grew, II
Bishop of Ohio
The Right Rev. Arthur B. Williams, Jr.
Bishop Suffragan of Ohio
The Right Rev. Herbert Thompson , Jr.
Bishop of Southern Ohio
The Right Rev. Kenneth L. Price, Jr.
Bishop Suffragan of Southern Ohio
Oklahoma
The Right Rev. Robert M. Moody
Bishop of Oklahoma
Oregon
The Right Rev. Robert L. Ladehoff
Bishop of Oregon
The Right Rev. William O. Gregg
Bishop of Eastern Oregon
Pennsylvania
The Right Rev. Paul V. Marshall
Bishop of Bethlehem
The Right Rev. Michael W. Creighton
Bishop of Central Pennsylvania
The Right Rev. Robert D. Rowley, Jr.
Bishop of Northwestern Pennsylvania
The Right Rev. Charles E. Bennison, Jr.
Bishop of Pennsylvania
The Right Rev. Robert W. Duncan Jr.
Bishop of Pittsburgh
Rhode Island
The Right Rev. Geralyn Wolf
Bishop of Rhode Island
South Carolina
The Right Rev. Edward L. Salmon, Jr.
Bishop of South Carolina
The Right Rev. William J. Skilton
Bishop Suffragan of South Carolina
The Right Rev. Dorsey F. Henderson, Jr.
Bishop of Upper South Carolina
South Dakota
The Right Rev. Creighton L. Robertson
Bishop of South Dakota
Tennessee
The Right Rev. Charles G. vonRosenberg
Bishop of East Tennessee
The Right Rev. James M. Coleman
Bishop of West Tennessee
Texas
The Right Rev. James M. Stanton
Bishop of Dallas
The Right Rev. D. Bruce MacPherson
Bishop Suffragan of Dallas
The Right Rev. Jack L. Iker
Bishop of Fort Worth
The Right Rev. C. Wallis Ohl, Jr.
Bishop of Northwest Texas
The Right Rev. Claude E. Payne
Bishop of Texas
The Right Rev. Leopoldo J. Alard
Bishop Suffragan of Texas
The Right Rev. Don A. Wimberly
Diocesan Missioner of Texas
The Right Rev. James E. Folts
Bishop of West Texas
Utah
The Right Rev. Carolyn T. Irish
Bishop of Utah
Vermont
The Right Rev. Thomas C. Ely
Bishop of Vermont
Virginia
The Right Rev. David C. Bane, Jr.
Bishop of Southern Virginia
The Right Rev. Donald P. Hart
Assistant Bishop of Southern Virginia
The Right Rev. F. Neff Powell
Bishop of Southwestern Virginia
The Right Rev. Peter James Lee
Bishop of Virginia
The Right Rev. David C. Jones
Bishop Suffragan of Virginia
The Right Rev. Francis C. Gray
Assistant Bishop of Virginia
Washington
The Right Rev. Vincent W. Warner
Bishop of Olympia
The Right Rev. James E. Waggoner, Jr.
Bishop of Spokane
West Virginia
The Right Rev. Charles Vache
Assisting Bishop of West Virginia
Wisconsin
The Right Rev. Russell E. Jacobus
Bishop of Fond du Lac
The Right Rev. Roger J. White
Bishop of Milwaukee
Wyoming
The Right Rev. Bruce Caldwell
Bishop of Wyoming