Marking the enactment of the Assistance for Orphans and other Vulnerable Children Act of 2005, Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold spoke at a November 17 press conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. The law -- which was championed for the past two years by the Episcopal Church, health organizations, student groups and other religious bodies -- was passed unanimously by both houses of Congress in October and signed into law by President Bush on November 1. The full text of his speech follows.

I am proud today to stand with the sponsors of the Assistance for Orphans and Vulnerable Children in Developing Countries Act of 2005. The enactment of this historic new law is a significant step forward in fulfilling our nation's commitment to fighting the global HIV/AIDS pandemic around the world and building a better future for all God's children. Now, it will be up to Congress and the President to see that this new commitment is fully funded and equipped with the strategies necessary to fulfill the Millennium Development Goals on AIDS, education, and child survival.

In our time, 14 million African children have lost one or both parents to AIDS, a number that could reach 25 million by the year 2010. The Episcopal Church shares a deep kinship with the more than 35 million Anglicans living in sub-Saharan Africa. I still recall visiting the home of a bishop in Uganda who had 60 orphans living in his home. These children are among the many faces of a pandemic that is destroying a generation, destabilizing nations, and exacerbating the grave crisis of global poverty.

The new law we celebrate today is an important first step in giving our nation a child-centered and holistic framework to respond to this dimension of the HIV/AIDS crisis around the world. I am deeply grateful to the bi-partisan group of lawmakers in both chambers who worked tirelessly for its passage, particularly Representatives Henry Hyde (R-IL) and Barbara Lee (D-CA), and Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA). I also congratulate President Bush for signing the legislation, and express my deepest thanks to the groups who comprise the Global Action for Children Coalition. Without the hard work of all of these individuals and groups, today's victory would not have come about.

This new law is only a first step, however. Congress now must appropriate money to see that it is adequately funded, and the U.S. government must adopt specific strategies for implementing the law. The Episcopal Church has joined with more than a dozen other organizations in endorsing a set of specific recommendations that we believe will optimize the ability of our nation to mitigate the crisis facing children in the developing world.

In a world broken by poverty, disease, conflict and instability, our nation's leaders have taken an important step toward with the enactment of this new law. It is my earnest prayer that our nation, which has been endowed by God with such extraordinary resources, may continue to walk this path of healing and reconciliation, always aspiring to be what the Scripture calls a "repairer of the breach and restorer of streets to dwell in."

The Most Rev. Frank T. Griswold
Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church