This story would have been much more welcome news if it had come in 1985 or even 1995 or 2000. But the full story is encouraging because it moves away from blame to compassion, and from asking “who sinned?” toward “how can we show compassion?” – D.H.

Religious groups pledge to end AIDS stigma

By The Associated Press
03.25.2010 1:00pm EDT(The Hague, Netherlands) Religious groups from around the globe pledged Tuesday to prevent the stigmatization of people living with HIV and AIDS, in a joint statement welcomed by a senior U.N. official as a sea change in attitudes.Representatives of some 40 religions and faith groups including Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism ended a two-day retreat in the Netherlands by signing a “personal commitment to action” in which they vowed to “be clear in my words and actions that stigma and discrimination towards people living with or affected by HIV is unacceptable.”  [1] Read entire story here.