Desmond Tutu

 

Archbishop Desmond Tutu was just 12 years old when he first met Father Trevor Huddleston, an Anglican cleric and an early outspoken critic of apartheid. While Tutu's earliest aspirations were to follow the career path of his father and become a schoolteacher, the life, work and message of Father Huddleston would remain close to the future Archbishop for years to come.

After teaching for four years, in 1958 Tutu decided to enter the ministry in the Church of the Province of Southern Africa and become an ordained at St. Peter's Theological College, Rosettenville. After he was ordained to the priesthood in 1961, he left for London where he obtained a Bachelor of Divinity Honours and Master of Theology degree while acting as a part-time curate. Upon returning to South Africa in 1967, Tutu became chaplain at the University of Fort Hare and later moved to the University of Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland. Later, Tutu returned to England to serve as Associate Director of the Theological Education Fund of the World Council of Churches, based in Kent.

Tutu's appointment in 1975 as Dean of St. Mary's Cathedral in Johannesburg was brief, as his election to Bishop of Lesotho soon followed. By this time, South Africa was in the wake of the 1976 Soweto uprising and deep in turmoil. Tutu was persuaded to leave the calm diocese of Lesotho to take up the post of General Secretary of the South African Council of Churches (SACC). It was in this position, a post he held from 1978-1985, that Bishop Tutu became a national and international figure.

A subsidiary of the World Council of Churches, the SACC is committed to the cause of ecumenism and to fulfilling the social responsibility of the church. Justice and reconciliation are its chief priorities. As General Secretary, Bishop Tutu pursued these goals with vigor and commitment. Under his direction, the SACC became a vital institution in South African spiritual and political life, voicing the ideals and aspirations of millions of South African Christians. Tutu's leadership helped to establish the council as an effective machinery in providing assistance to the victims of apartheid and, inevitably, placed the Archbishop deep within the controversy as he spoke out against the injustice of the system. In 1984, Tutu's contribution to the cause of racial justice in South Africa was recognized when he received the highest award the world can offer - the Nobel Peace Prize.


Desmond Tutu spent the next five years working to bridge the chasm between black and white Anglicans in South Africa as Bishop of Johannesburg and later, as Archbishop of Cape Town. His election demonstrated the Anglican Church's faith and trust in his spiritual leadership, as well as his ability to pursue racial justice.


Currently, Desmond Tutu is Chancellor of the University of the Western Cape. He holds honorary degrees from numerous universities, including Harvard, Oxford, Columbia, the Ruhr, Kent and Aberdeen. In addition to his Nobel Peace Prize, he received the Order for Meritorious Service Award (Gold), presented by President Nelson Mandela, the Archbishop of Canterbury's Award for outstanding service to the Anglican Communion, the Prix d'Athene (Onassis Foundation), the Family of Man Gold Medal Award and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Non-Violent Peace Prize.


In December 1995, President Mandela appointed Archbishop Tutu to head the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. On October 29, 1998, the commission submitted its first official report to President Mandela, marking yet another significant step in the struggle for justice both in South Africa and the World. He retired from office as Archbishop of Cape Town in June 1996, but was named Archbishop Emeritus in July 1996. The author of four collections of sermons and addresses, Tutu is now working on publishing two new books, one chronicling the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the other, transfiguration.