Top Lutheran and Episcopal bishops on Friday called on their churches to end discrimination against HIV-positive people ahead of a major international AIDS conference in Washington D.C. this weekend.

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson and Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori said in a statement welcoming participants in the 2012 International AIDS Conference that God calls "members of the global body of Christ to serve those who are suffering with HIV and AIDS with respect, support and compassion."

"Our churches must work to shatter the silence, stigma and discrimination that perpetuate the invisibility of HIV-positive Lutherans and Episcopalians in our denominations, and continue to push them into the shadows of their own congregations," they said.

The International AIDS Conference meeting lasting from June 22-27 brings together those working in the field of HIV, as well as policy makers and people living with the disease in an effort to assess current progress, evaluate developments and seek a way forward.

More than 20,000 people traveling from 200 countries to the U.S. are expected to attend.

The bishops also called on the U.S. government to strengthen funding for HIV and AIDS programs including the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and domestic programs providing access to antiretrovital treatments, palliative care, health services, nutritious foods, HIV testing and counseling and harm-reduction programs for drug users.