Archbishop Desmond Tutu RIP
Archbishop Desmond Tutu
7 Oct 1931 – 26 Dec 2021
From Anglican Communion News Service
The Secretary General of the Anglican Communion has said Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who has died at the age of 90, was a “prophetic voice in the church and the world.”
Secretary General of the Anglican Communion, Josiah Idowu-Fearon, has said: “The death of Archbishop Desmond Tutu is a huge loss to the Anglican Church of Southern Africa and to the whole of the Anglican Communion.”
Archbishop Desmond Tutu was a driving force behind the movement to end the policy of racial segregation and discrimination enforced by the white minority government against the black majority in South Africa from 1948 until 1991. He was awarded the Nobel Peace prize in 1984.
Archbishop Josiah said Desmond Tutu had been “a prophetic voice in the church and in the world”.
“When he spoke, people listened. He was a lively and engaging contributor to the Anglican Communion and its constituent bodies, and used his gifts to greatly enrich the Communion. His commitment to justice and peace, and particularly to racial justice and reconciliation, was and continues to be an example to us all.
“He was a great Disciple of Christ: as a priest and bishop he was a committed pastor and preacher. He will continue to inspire generations to come. We commend him into the arms of his Creator, and Saviour, and join with the whole Communion in praying for his family at this time.”
The current Archbishop of Cape Town, Thabo Makgoba, said: “While we mourn his passing, as Christians and people of faith we must also celebrate the life of a deeply spiritual person whose alpha and omega – his starting point and his ending point – was his relationship with our Creator. He took God, God’s purpose and God’s creation deadly seriously. Prayer, the Scriptures and his ministry to the people God entrusted to his care were at the heart of his life.”
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, said: “Archbishop Desmond Tutu was a prophet and a priest, a man of words and action – one who embodied the hope and joy that were the foundations of his life. Even in our profound sorrow we give thanks for a life so well lived. May he rest in peace and rise in glory.”
The Church of South Africa will plan his funeral and other memorial services, in accordance with his instructions, and with the support of the South African Government and the City of Cape Town.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu RIP.
“I would not worship a God who is homophobic and that is how deeply I feel about this. I would refuse to go to a homophobic heaven. No, I would say sorry, I mean I would much rather go to the other place. I am as passionate about this campaign as I ever was about apartheid.”
Archbishop Desmond Tutu
1931-2021
Archbishop Tutu RIP…
It is to be noted that Archbishop Desmond and Leah were married for 65 years and the great support they were for each other.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu RIP.
In the obituary in yesterday’s Scotsman — the Irish Times/Independent of Scotland — it observed that “Tutu, unlike many African churchmen, opposed Christian discrimination against homosexuals. The archbishop said “I am deeply saddened at a time when we have got such huge problems that we should invest so much time and energy in this issue. I think God is weeping.””
He married Leah Nomali in 1955 and the couple had four children.
God rest him.