Another dissident conference at Roehampton

Briefing: bringing together a remarkable collection of dissident groups, Tina Beattie, the well-known dissident feminist, is organising a symposium on AIDS at Digby Stuart College, Roehampton. This is where the dissident Catholic homosexual group, Quest, held its conference last year. Digby Stuart was founded as a Catholic college and still has a Catholic chapel.

It is not surprising that the dissent on the 'response to AIDS' fomented by CAFOD and Progressio should find an echo with the dissident homosexual groups such as the RCCLGM Quest, and their supporters at Marriage Care. All these groups will no doubt be represented at this delightful symposium, where they will sit at the feet of an American feminist nun, Margaret Farley.

Farley is giving a talk to the RCCLGCM (see here). Terry Prendergast is giving that paper a reply, perhaps in preparation for addressing the conference of the UK's other dissident Catholic gay group, Quest. Prendergast is head of Marriage Care, the formerly Catholic marriage guidance service which now counsels homosexuals whose relationships may be in difficulties, and peddles sex education materials: see our dossier on them.

From an email: HIV/AIDS - meeting the challenge, exploring the questions

Sister Margaret Farley, Professor of Christian Ethics at Yale University and active in Sister to Sister, a project working with African women religious on HIV issues, is visiting London to give the 5th Alan Bray Memorial Lecture, Sacrament of Desire, on Saturday, 18th April (see
http://www.rccaucuslgcm.co.uk/.)

Professor Farley has agreed to take part in a one day symposium at Digby Stuart College, Roehampton University, on Monday, 20th April, which will bring together moral theologians, representatives of NGOs and religious orders and others working in the area of HIV/AIDS, to explore our different perspectives and to ask how we can maintain a dialogue which enables us to address the questions and challenges we face.

We should be delighted if you or a representative of your organisation would join us for this event. The venue will be Digby Stuart College, Roehampton University in south west
London(http://www.roehampton.ac.uk/about/location/directions/index.asp), and we plan to start at 10.30 am and to finish by 4.30 pm. We are also able to offer a limited amount of accommodation for anybody who would like to come to London for the Alan Bray lecture and to stay over for the Monday event.

I'd be very grateful if you would let me know as soon as possible if you are able to attend. We can meet expenses (within reason!), but for budgeting purposes it would be helpful to know, if you plan to attend: (a) your estimated travel costs, and (b) whether or not you will need
accommodation and, if so, for how many nights.

I look forward to hearing from you.

With best wishes,
Tina Beattie