Rower who stopped in Lewes meets Pope Francis

HIV testing advocate Don Victor Mooney took part in an audience with Pope Francis at the Vatican on World AIDS Day, Dec. 1.

In Rome, Italy, Mooney met with the American, Polish and Portuguese diplomats accredited to the Holy See.

Mooney's wife and son took the trip with him.

Mooney’s visit to the Vatican marked the 17-year anniversary of receiving a blessing from then-Pope John Paul II on Dec. 1, 2004, in advance of his first attempt to row from Goree Island, Senegal, to Brooklyn. On a fourth try, Mooney completed the row from Maspalomas, Gran Canaria, part of Spain’s Canary Islands, to New York’s Brooklyn Bridge, a first for an African American. His mission was to encourage HIV testing.

"We stand on the shoulders of so many people. I didn't see my trip to the Vatican as a victory lap, but a testimony of faith,” said Mooney.

Mooney, H.R. 1242 Resilience Project president, visited Lewes in 2019 to discuss his efforts.

To learn more, go to hr1242resilience.com.