In a strongly worded pastoral letter, the Bishop of Central Florida, the Rt. Rev. John W. Howe, responded to the decision of the Court for the Trial of a Bishop [TLC, June 2] and said funds for the national church should be redirected. Bishop Howe asked that the letter be read from the pulpit of each of Central Florida's congregations on Trinity Sunday.

Bishop Howe, one of the 10 bishops who brought presentment charges against Bishop Walter Righter, wrote that the court "is seriously in error," and its determination "will have disastrous consequences throughout the church."

The letter recalls that Central Florida's diocesan convention voted last January to attach a "letter of conscience" to its pledge to the national church.

The "conscience" letter stated: "Should the Episcopal Church abandon its own teaching we will, in conscience, be required to reconsider or rescind our pledge."

Bishop Howe's letter states that Central Florida's diocesan board "determined that the decision of this court is indeed an official pronouncement of the Episcopal Church, and that pronouncement constitutes the abandonment of orthodox, biblical and traditional Christian teaching." The bishop states that the board, with one dissenting vote, decided to act in accordance with its letter of conscience.

The diocesan board voted to pay its assessment portion of the national church's asking ($43,000) in full for 1996, and redirect the balance of its $164,000 apportionment (about $100,000 remaining) to be divided equally between the Diocese of Honduras (its companion diocese) and the Great Commission Alliance, an "umbrella" organization of Episcopal Church-related groups.

"It was the sentiment of the board that this action should be a clear sign of our desire to remain loyal to the historic teaching of the Episcopal Church, our continuing desire to be a diocese in good standing in this branch of Christ's Church, and at the same time a clear protest against the court's decision," the pastoral letter states.

Bishop Howe adds that "if any congregation dissents from the decision of the bishop and the board, the vestry is invited to direct that the apportionment monies from that congregation continue to be sent to the national church, and this office will implement that request. It is my fervent hope, however, that we will be united in this important witness."