The last surviving South African laureate of the Nobel Peace Prize, Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Mpilo Tutu will be laid to rest on Saturday, at the St George’s Cathedral.
Tutu passed away in his home on Sunday, at the age of 90.
In a statement on his passing,
President Cyril Ramaphosa called Tutu “a patriot without equal; a leader of
principle and pragmatism who gave meaning to the biblical insight that faith
without works is dead”.
Among his many accomplishments, Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu was an honorary doctor at several universities in the United States of America, Germany and Britain. Courtesy: SABC
Tutu, who was born in
Klerksdorp, was a teacher before being ordained as a priest in 1960. In the
years that followed, Tutu obtained his masters in Theology, taught Theology in
South Africa, was the assistant director at a theology institute in London,
became the first black dean at the St. Mary’s Cathedral in Johannesburg and became
the first black General Secretary of the South African Council of Churches.
The Anglican Archbishop played
a critical role in ending apartheid, and was the chair of the Truth and
Reconciliation Commission, which was aimed at transitioning South Africa from
the apartheid rule to a full democracy.
To commemorate his life, the
bells at the St George’s Cathedral in Cape Town will ring for 10 minutes at
midday, every day this week.
The South African Council of Churches will host a memorial service on Wednesday.
Done By: Caitlin Maledo
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