Desmond Tutu

“When the missionaries came to Africa, we had the land, and they had the Bible. Then they said, ‘Let us pray.’ And we, obediently, closed our eyes and when we said ‘amen’ at the end and opened our eyes, they had the land, and we had the Bible. It seems like a bad swap, but we are forever indebted to those men and women.” “Apartheid, separate development or whatever it is called, is evil … It’s anti-Christian and unbiblical.” “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.”

President Mandela asked Desmond Tutu to chair the Truth and Reconciliation Commission tasked with recognizing the egregious violations committed during apartheid. He guided the painful effort by following the criterion that “without forgiveness there is no future, but without confession there can be no forgiveness.”

I met him in Cape Town when apartheid was still in place. He welcomed us with his best smile and without any transition suggested chatting while driving towards one of his multiple commitments. We were several squeezed into his rickety car that stopped at many corners to greet so many who wanted to touch him, express affection and gratitude. Security of a leader who received permanent threats? No. Tutu without fear, the squeezed more than worried. His sympathy went hand in hand with a firm and heartfelt commitment to the excluded, punished, the relatives of those killed.

We were lucky enough to see Desmond Tutu several more times, at Mandela’s inauguration and on his visits to New York. His personality captivated and his dynamism was frantic and tireless. He died on December 26. He was a great, a huge fighter for justice, fairness, and love.

With the fond memory of Desmond Tutu, we hope for a good 2022.

The Editors

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