The Pope Should Visit Atlanta to Address the U.S. HIV Crisis

Pope Francis sent a message of hope to the International AIDS Society’s 8th Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention this past summer. He told participants, “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.”

That blessed match probably seems like little consolation to HIV patients whose pharmaceutical treatment options are becoming prohibitively expensive. Fortunately, there have been great advances made over the decades in treating and managing HIV and AIDS. But they seem out of reach for young, black men living with HIV in the urban South, where diagnoses for the virus and the disease AIDS have reached crisis levels.