JOHANNESBURG: Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and veteran of South Africa’s struggle against white minority rule, died on Sunday at the age of 90.
Habo Makgoba, Archbishop Of Cape Town, said “Desmond Tutu was a patriot without equal; a leader of principle and pragmatism who gave meaning to the biblical insight that faith without works is dead.”
S Africa bereaved
The passing of the Archbishop is another chapter of bereavement in our nation’s farewell to a generation who have bequeathed us a liberated South Africa. Cyril Ramaphosa, President, SA
Mandela Foundation paid homage saying “Desmond Tutu’s legacy is moral strength, courage and clarity. He felt with the people. In public and alone, he cried because he felt people’s pain. And he laughed – no, not just laughed, he cackled with delight when he shared their joy. His contributions to struggles against injustice, locally and globally, are matched only by the depth of his thinking about the making of liberator futures for human societies.
He was an extraordinary human being. A thinker. A leader. A shepherd.”
Vatican Telegram said “His Holiness Pope Francis was saddened to learn of the death of Archbishop Desmond Tutu… Mindful of his service to the gospel through the promotion of racial equality and reconciliation in his native South Africa, his Holiness commends his soul to the loving mercy of Almighty God.”
Former US President Barack Obama termed Archbishop Desmond Tutu a mentor, a friend and a moral compass. “A universal spirit, Archbishop Tutu was grounded in the struggle for liberation and justice in his own country, but also concerned with injustice everywhere. He never lost his impish sense of humour and willingness to find humanity in his adversaries, and Michelle and I will miss him dearly,” he said.
Queen Elizabeth II said the Royal Family was deeply saddened by the news Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s demise, “a man who tirelessly championed human rights in South Africa and across the world. I remember with fondness my meetings with him and his great warmth and humour. Archbishop Tutu’s loss will be felt by
the people of South Africa, and by so many people in Great Britain, Northern Ireland and across the Commonwealth, where he was held in such high affection and esteem.”
Paying homage, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby described Archbishop Desmond Tutu as a “prophet and priest, a man of words and action – one who embodied the hope and joy that were the foundations of his life.”
Headed non-violent opposition to apartheid
- Tutu won Nobel for non-violent opposition to apartheid
- Was considered nation’s conscience by black & white
- Anti-apartheid hero fought for “Rainbow Nation”
- The Archbishop was diagnosed with cancer in 1990s