Ten days after the independent Ugandan paper the Daily Monitor ran a story titled, “Church Leaders Back Government on Anti-Gay Bill,” the state-owned paper New Vision has run a press release for the Inter-Religious Council. That press release is reprinted at the end of this post.
The press release, signed by the Uganda Inter-Religious Council’s Secretary states,
The idea that development partners should refrain from interfering in the process of legislation regarding the bill or that Government should cut ties with countries supporting homosexuality was not in any way a conclusion but part of the debate on the floor during the Assembly. We understand the Homosexuality Bill is a Private Members bill which is yet to be tabled before Parliament. As of now, IRCU does not have a common position on the said bill. Under any circumstance, our services including HIV/AIDS interventions are open to all persons with out discrimination.
What the Daily Monitor had reported paints a far different picture,
The Secretary General of IRC, Mr Joshua Kitakule told Daily Monitor that development partners should not interfere in the process of legislation in Uganda.
“Those countries should respect our spiritual values. They shouldn’t interfere,” he said. “All senior religious leaders have been given copies of the Bill to read and educate people in the churches and mosques,” he added. Mr Kitakule said the Bill, which was tabled last month by Ndorwa West MP David Bahati, has not been understood by human rights activists and homosexuals.
“The Bill is ok. But it has been misunderstood. We need to educate people on this proposed law,” he said.
As reported in The Lead, Mr. Kitakule is also Head of Peace and Justice Division, Church of Uganda Planning, Development and Rehabilitation Department. 35 percent of Ugandans are Anglicans.
Like the government, the Anglican Church of Uganda appears to be backpedaling on the bill. This is further evidence that the quiet diplomacy approach of Lambeth Palace is wrongheaded. It is the international outcry that has produced the backpedaling.
Addendum. (H/T Box Turtle Bulletin.) Warren Throckmorton has published a letter in which the Uganda National Pastors Task Force Against Homosexuality demand an apology from Rick Warren. The letter concludes,
Please note that on Friday 11th December, more than 200 of Uganda’s top religious leaders met and supported the legislators in strengthening the law against homosexuality. (Church leaders back anti-gay bill.) The issue is, we all want the law on homosexuality, the only debate is on what penalties are appropriate.
Your letter has caused great distress and the pastors are demanding that you issue a formal apology for insulting the people of Africa by your very inapropriate bully use of your church and purpose driven pulpits to coerse us into the “evil” of Sodomy and Gaymorrah. This is expected within seven days from this date.
Throckmorton goes on to note, “the coalition [IRC?] met on the 17th in the office of the Minister of Ethics and Integrity, Nsaba Buturo.”
It is notable that in the list of churches represented on the task force the Church of Uganda (Anglican) does not appear. It does include the Roman Catholic church.
__________
Position of the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda on the anti-homosexuality bill
Sunday, 20th December, 2009
Affiliate of the World Conference on Religion & peace
PRESS STATEMENT
The Daily Monitor of Thursday December 10, 2009 ran a story “Church Leaders Back Government on Anti-Gay Bill.”
During our recently concluded Consultative Assembly, we had presentations and discussion of different challenges facing Uganda including climatic change, the forthcoming elections in 2011, ethnocentrism and corruption, among others.
A presentation was also made on the anti-homosexuality bill by Hon David Bahati (MP Ndorwa West). Earlier, Hon. Nsaba Buturo had, in his speech , presented gay activities as an emergent issue that required the immediate attention of religious leaders / institutions. Subsequently religious leaders received copies of the bill to enable them read and internalize the issues before coming up with an informed position at an appropriate time.
The idea that development partners should refrain from interfering in the process of legislation regarding the bill or that Government should cut ties with countries supporting homosexuality was not in any way a conclusion but part of the debate on the floor during the Assembly. We understand the Homosexuality Bill is a Private Members bill which is yet to be tabled before Parliament. As of now, IRCU does not have a common position on the said bill. Under any circumstance, our services including HIV/AIDS interventions are open to all persons with out discrimination.
IRCU will remain committed to providing vital services to the millions of Ugandans and people of the Great Lakes Region affected by poverty, injustice, violent conflicts, bad governance, and disease including HIV/AIDS and malaria.
Thank You
Joshua Kiitakule
Secretary General
INTER-RELIGIOUS COUNCIL OF UGANDA