The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, the Rt. Rev. David Lacy, welcomed 40 delegates from Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim and Sikh communities to the Kirk office in Edinburgh, Tuesday, for a conference to discuss the global AIDS crisis, reports The Scotsman.

|TOP|“These past few weeks our urgent attention, resources and prayers have been focused on famine or its threat in Niger and Malawi, floods in the USA and Central America and the devastating impact of the earthquake in South Asia,” said Rev. Lacy.

“Yet, even as these sudden emergencies challenge us, we know that month by month HIV and AIDS continues to take its relentless toll,” he said.

Rev. Lacy called on people of faith to be more aware and active and to challenge others to do more.

The event was chaired by Roy Kilpatrick, chief executive of HIV Scotland, who added: “It is especially appropriate that leaders of our faith communities, which contribute uniquely to supporting people with HIV, should meet together with national and international experts to explore ways of improving our understanding and of extending our efforts.”

|QUOTE|Meanwhile planning is well underway for the International AIDS Conference 2006. Toronto, Canada, will host the Conference, which will bring together government representatives, activists, corporate leaders, people affected by HIV and AIDS, and religious leaders.

Held every two years, the IAC will be held from 13th to 18th August 2006 to provide extensive opportunities for sharing and networking across all levels of care and response to the epidemic.

The Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance has been extensively involved in the planning for faith-based participation at the event, including the ecumenical pre-conference and joint faith-based exhibition at the IAC.