MELBOURNE, Australia - Catholic AIDS activists said they are encouraged by the steady progress being made against HIV, but warned against complacency.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- In a special appeal against HIV and AIDS, Pope Benedict XVI called for special attention to those unable to afford life-saving drugs, especially pregnant and nursing women affected by the disease.

WASHINGTON - Federal funding for foreign poverty-focused development and humanitarian aid programs must be preserved as Congress continues debating the fiscal year 2013 budget, said officials from two church agencies.

In particular, officials from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and Catholic Relief Services called for support of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, because of high levels of success in the prevention and treatment of AIDS around the world under the program.

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. - As part of the Change the World campaign for National Volunteer Week, ACCESS Charity ran its fourth annual Youth Making A Difference Conference at the Blessed Trinity Catholic Centre in Mississauga. 

In line with the conference’s theme “Desire to Inspire,” the speakers shared their own stories as inspiration for the 180 students who took part in the April 26 event. ACCESS (Allowing Children a Chance at Education) is one of Southern Ontario’s largest youth-run charities.

VATICAN CITY - Michel Sidibe, executive director of UNAIDS, met Pope Benedict XVI and other Vatican officials April 11, seeking greater collaboration to prevent HIV infection among children by 2015.

Preventing mother-to-child transmission of the HIV virus and keeping children free from HIV is an achievable goal, Sidibe told the pope, according to a press release from UNAIDS.