On 20th November 2003 the Church of Uganda broke communion with the Episcopal Church USA (ECUSA), a fellow member of the world-wide Anglican Communion, because it ignored the clear warning from all four instruments of unity in the Anglican Communion, plus its own House of Bishops Theology Committee, that if it proceeded with the consecration as bishop of a man living in a same-sex relationship that it would "tear the fabric of our [Anglican] Communion at its deepest level." (Primates of the Anglican Communion Communiqui, October 2003, http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acns/articles/36/25/acns3633.html)

As ECUSA has unilaterally adopted unbiblical practices, in its path it has left a trail of broken relationships and other casualties throughout ECUSA and the world-wide Anglican Communion, including South Rwenzori Diocese and the Church of Uganda. When some in the Church of Uganda continued to receive financial support from ECUSA after it broke communion with it, we were condemned as hypocrites for taking money from a church with whom we were no longer in communion.

So, our House of Bishops and the Provincial Assembly (our biennial governing body) unanimously agreed to withdraw requests for financial support from official ECUSA bodies and dioceses that support those unbiblical practices. But, now, we are being condemned for upholding the integrity of our decisions. It is a classic case of "damned if you do and damned if you don't."

The relationship between South Rwenzori Diocese and the Diocese of Central Pennsylvania began under my predecessor, Bishop Masereka, who also runs a non-profit organisation known as the Bishop Masereka Christian Foundation. Our diocese and the Foundation work closely together and collaborate on many projects, but we are separate organisations. The Diocese of Central Pennsylvania has contributed approximately $65,000 for AIDS and orphan ministry through the Bishop Masereka Christian Foundation, and we are grateful for their past support of these and other projects that have made a difference in the lives of people in our district. The South Rwenzori Diocese has, however, never received any money from the Diocese of Central Pennsylvania.

The South Rwenzori Diocese had requested a multi-year grant of $352,941 from the Central Pennsylvania Diocese for a comprehensive AIDS ministry everything from prevention and education to support groups to hospice care for the dying and support for family members. That request was made in person by me during a June/July 2004 Central Pennsylvania diocesan AIDS Commission meeting. The intent of my e-mail was to inform them that I am withdrawing my request for their support. The leadership of the Diocese of Central Pennsylvania seemed to favor more of a relational involvement with the people of our diocese than financial support, so we discussed at that same AIDS Commission meeting the idea of a medical team visiting the diocese. My e-mail was also withdrawing my request for a medical team.

The Diocese of Central Pennsylvania has never offered financial support for this project; they have never made a pledge of support; we have never received money for this project from them. We have spurned nothing. We have only withdrawn an unfunded request we had made nine months earlier.

We in South Rwenzori Diocese are very committed to the holistic care and support of all people in our diocese, especially programmes to prevent HIV/AIDS infection, caring for those already suffering from HIV/AIDS, support for orphans, for adequate and available medical care, for girl-child education, support for widows, and many other development, evangelistic, and discipleship programmes.

As Bishop of South Rwenzori Diocese, I am personally committed to caring for the most vulnerable in our community. On my monthly salary of $281, I not only support my wife and five biological children, but I also support and pay the school fees for five orphans, and support ten widows whose husbands died from AIDS.

For twenty years, the Church of Uganda has worked collaboratively with the Ugandan government to reduce the infection rate of HIV/AIDS through our own, home-grown policy of ABC - Abstinence before marriage, Be faithful in marriage, and Condoms if necessary. We are the only nation in Africa to have a declining AIDS infection rate. This alone should be sufficient evidence of our intention and commitment to caring for those in our charge.

The money we had requested from Central Pennsylvania Diocese is not the only money in the world. We believe that God will honour our commitment to His Word and the historic teaching of the church, and will provide more than we could ask or imagine for the people committed to our care, especially those who are most vulnerable. Just because we have withdrawn requests for Central Pennsylvania involvement and money does not mean we are abandoning our people, and any implication that we have done so is just plain wrong.

The Rt. Rev. Jackson Nzerebende Tembo
South Rwenzori Diocese
Uganda