In the nearly 30 years the AIDS epidemic has raged, there has never been a more hopeful day than this.

Three striking developments took place Tuesday: U.N. officials said new HIV cases are dropping dramatically worldwide. A study showed that a daily pill already on pharmacy shelves could help prevent new infections in gay men. And the pope opened the way for the use of condoms to prevent AIDS.

‘I don’t know of a day where so many pieces are beginning to align for HIV prevention and treatment, and frankly with a view to ending the epidemic,’ said Mitchell Warren, head of the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition, a nonprofit group that works on HIV prevention research. ‘This is an incredibly opportune moment and we have to be sure we seize it.’

President Barack Obama said the groundbreaking research on the AIDS drug ‘could mark the beginning of a new era in HIV prevention.’

The U.N. report said new cases dropped nearly 20 percent over the past decade and that 33.3 million people are living with HIV.

Health officials credit part of the decline to wider condom use, and Tuesday, in a historic shift in church teachings, the Vatican said using a condom is a lesser […]