ARCHBISHOP DESMOND TUTU ON NELSON MANDELA

I disagreed with him a number of times, firstly over his government's decision to continue to manufacture and trade in weapons and over Parliament's insensitive decision to grant itself big pay increases soon after coming to power. He attacked me publicly as a populist, but he never tried to shut me up, and we could laugh over our tiffs and remain friends.
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The world is a better place for Nelson Mandela. He showed in his own character, and inspired in others, many of God's attributes: goodness, compassion, a desire for justice, peace, forgiveness and reconciliation. He was not only an amazing gift to humankind, he made South Africans and Africans feel good about being who we are. He made us walk tall. God be praised.

Read the tribute in its entirety.

The many tributes and eulogies thus far speak far more eloquently than I ever could about the great man.  I especially admire and respect Archbishop Tutu's words on the life and achievements of Nelson Mandela. The two men knew one another well and participated simultaneously in the struggle for justice and equality in South Africa. That Mandela spent 27 years in prison and came to freedom without bitterness is a testimony to his great strength of character.  Who better to speak the tribute than his friend Desmond Tutu?

May Nelson rest in peace and rise in glory. 

Photos from Wikipedia here and here.

ARCHBISHOP DESMOND TUTU WINS TEMPLETON PRIZE

 

Our dear Archbishop Desmond Tutu wins the Templeton Prize.

Desmond Tutu, the former Anglican archbishop of Cape Town, has been awarded the 2013 Templeton Prize for his life-long work in advancing spiritual principles such as love and forgiveness which has helped to liberate people around the world.

Tutu rose to world prominence with his stalwart - and successful - opposition to South Africa's apartheid regime. He combines the theological concept that all human beings are shaped in the image of God, known in Latin as Imago Dei, with the traditional African belief of Ubuntu, which holds that only through others do people achieve humanity which, he says, creates "a delicate network of interdependence."

Read more about Tutu's life and achievements at the Templeton website.  Blessed Tutu is a living saint in my canon of saints.

H/T to Father Ron at The Lead.

Photo from TheFamousPeople.

A LITTLE STORY ABOUT DESMOND TUTU

In his book Engaging the Powers, Walter Wink discusses the use of humor and wit in conflict situations and tells the following story about Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa:

Sometimes wit can have a barb, as when Bishop Desmond Tutu was walking by a construction site on a temporary sidewalk the width of one person.  A white man appeared at the other end, recognized Tutu, and said, "I don't give way to gorillas."  At which Tutu stepped aside, made a deep sweeping gesture, and said, "Ah yes, but I do."

Now isn't that just like dear Tutu?

ARCHBISHOP TUTU PULLS OUT OF SUMMIT WITH TONY BLAIR

Archbishop Desmond Tutu has pulled out of an international summit, because he doesn't want to share a platform with the "morally indefensible" Tony Blair it emerged yesterday.

The retired archbishop, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for his campaigning against apartheid, said that he had withdrawn from the event because he believed the former Prime Minister had supported the invasion of Iraq "on the basis of unproven allegations of the existence of weapons of mass destruction."
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Archbishop Tutu has long been a critic of Mr Blair's stance on Iraq – even before the invasion.

In 2003 the archbishop said Mr Blair's support for the Bush administration was "mind-boggling". "I have a great deal of time for your Prime Minister, but I'm shocked to see a powerful country use its power frequently, unilaterally," he said.

Archbishop Tutu is correct that the invasion of Iraq was illegal and based on false information.  A full explanation by the archbishop for his withdrawal may be found at the Guardian.

If leaders may lie, then who should tell the truth? Days before George W Bush and Tony Blair ordered the invasion of Iraq, I called the White House and spoke to Condoleezza Rice, who was then national security adviser, to urge that United Nations weapons inspectors be given more time to confirm or deny the existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Should they be able to confirm finding such weapons, I argued, dismantling the threat would have the support of virtually the entire world. Ms Rice demurred, saying there was too much risk and the president would not postpone any longer.
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On these grounds alone, in a consistent world, those responsible for this suffering and loss of life should be treading the same path as some of their African and Asian peers who have been made to answer for their actions in the Hague.

The weapons inspectors from the UN had nearly completed their work and asked for a short delay in order to finish, but their request was refused.  They were close to a conclusion that Iraq had no WMD, and it's possible that Bush and Blair rushed the invasion, in part, to avoid the disclosure from being made public.  The two leaders were determined to bring down Saddam, WMD or no.  The inspectors had to rush out of Iraq in order not to be caught in the invasion.

I won't ever forget observing the process with horror, aghast that Blair would go along with Bush and crew in the madness.  There was an air of inevitability about the coming invasion, and it was plain that no new information would get in the way.

H/T to Juan Cole at Informed Comment.

ET TU, GONSAGA?

From Huff Post Religion:

SPOKANE, Wash. (RNS) Archbishop Desmond Tutu is slated to deliver the commencement address next month to Gonzaga University's graduating class. A group of alumni, however, are saying he isn't welcome and are urging administrators to withdraw the invitation.

Patrick Kirby, a 1993 Gonzaga graduate, said Tutu is pro-abortion rights, has made offensive statements toward Jews and supports contraception and the ordination of gay clergy and shouldn't be honored by a Catholic institution.

The admirable work of an entire, long life, which includes a Nobel Peace Prize, counts not at all with the alumni because Archbishop Tutu does not agree with every teaching of the Roman Catholic Church.  If there is a living saint walking amongst us today, it is Tutu.

As for his "offensive statements toward Jews", I've known the archbishop to speak with great respect of the Jewish faith and the Hebrew Testament in which his own Christian faith has its roots.  What he has cautioned against is the State of Israel's policies toward the Palestinians, which is an entirely different matter.  I know that many Jewish people and non-Jews are quick to cry anti-Semitism at the least criticism of  of the policies of the Israeli state.  A good many politicians in the US do not speak out, because they fear retribution at the ballot box.  Nor is this the first time that alumni of universities have objected to appearances by Archbishop Tutu, and here I am, in my naïveté, still clinging to the ideal that one purpose of universities is the exploration of a diversity of ideas.

Thanks to Ann V for the link.

UPDATE: Sign the petition in support of Archbishop Tutu.