There are some issues that this pandemic challenges religious communities to confront and they do not seem to get any easier. Above all, to my mind, is the role of women.
Religious people, communities and institutions were often the first to recognize the pain and suffering the disease caused, for individuals, families, and societies. Saintly nuns and volunteers of many sorts cared for the sick and dying...
Gideon Byamugisha, an Anglican priest, learned that he was HIV positive in 1991. The first African priest to break the silence, he works tirelessly to fight HIV/AIDS and especially to help the children who are so deeply affected.