Uganda, May 14 -- Faced with a rising tide of public criticism and accusations of moral cowardice, the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda (IRCU) has broken its silence to defend its preferred strategy of "quiet diplomacy."

The council asserts that while the public may demand vocal condemnation of national ills, faith leaders are more effective when working as silent mediators in the corridors of power.

The defense follows weeks of intensifying scrutiny directed at religious institutions, particularly the Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, the Most Rev. Dr Stephen Samuel Kaziimba Mugalu. As the current Chairperson of the IRCU Council of Presidents, Dr. Mugalu has become a lightning rod for political activists who claim the clergy has aba...