SOURCE: Liberian News Agency (LINA)
By Wilfred S. Gortor
MONROVIA, Dec. 27 (LINA) – President George M. Weah has joined the rank of world leaders to extend condolences to the People of South Africa amidst the death of Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
The death of the Archbishop, 90, was confirmed on Sunday by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa who expressed his condolences to Tutu’s family and friends, calling him a “patriot without equal.”
Pres. Weah in a statement issued Sunday, termed the demise of the Archbishop who was well noted as one of South Africa’s leading anti-apartheid heroes, as “enormous loss to the global community.”
“We stand with our South African brothers during this period of mourning, and pray that the Tutu family and all those impacted by his loss take solace in the Lord,” Pres. Weah noted.
The Liberian leader cited that Archbishop Tutu was widely known for speaking fearlessly against the ills of society everywhere in the world, not just in South Africa, adding that, “he was indeed a true advocate of social justice.”
“I fondly recall his emotional messages of peace and equal justice which he delivered to congregations in South Africa, but that became central themes around the world for the fight against human rights abuses everywhere,” said the Liberian Leader.
He said Archbishop Tutu will be remembered for speaking truth to power regardless of who was involved – be it the fearsome apartheid leaders, or those of the African National Congress that followed them or leaders around the world.
According to Pres. Weah, the personable but resolute clergyman had come to be known as a “rabblerouser for peace” around the world, including in Liberia, when he spoke against the abuse of children during the war.
The deceased Archbishop also served as head of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, focusing primarily on healing a divided nation.
In his statement, President Ramaphosa further described the fallen Archbishop as “a man of extraordinary intellect, integrity and invincibility against the forces of apartheid,” adding, he was also tender and vulnerable in his compassion for those who had suffered oppression, injustice and violence under apartheid, and oppressed and downtrodden people around the world.
Tributes and words of remembrance have since been pouring in from across the globe.
Former U.S. President Barack Obama tweeted that Tutu never lost his “willingness to find humanity in his adversaries,” and that he will be missed.
He said, “Archbishop Desmond Tutu was a mentor, a friend and a moral compass for me and so many others. A universal spirit, Archbishop Tutu was grounded in the struggle for liberation and justice in his own country, but also concern with injustice everywhere.”
Bill Clinton also tweeted: “Archbishop Desmond Tutu reminded us all that the search for justice begins in the heart. Those of us touched by the gift of his life owe it to him to pass it on.”
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson wrote: “I am deeply sadden to hear of the death of Archbishop Desmond Tutu. He was a critical figure in the fight against apartheid and in the struggle to create a new South Africa – and will be remembered for his spiritual leadership and impressible good humor.”
Several organizations including the Carter Center, The African National Congress, the Nelson Mandela Foundation, News 24 and Cricket South Africa among others remembered the fallen Archbishop.
Born October 7, 1931, Desmond Mpilo Tutu was a South African Anglican Bishop and theologian known for his work as an anti-apartheid and human rights activist. He was Bishop of Johannesburg from 1895 to 1986 and then Archbishop of Cape Town from 1986 to 1996, in both cases being the first black African to hold the position.
Theologically, Tutu sought to fuse ideas from black theology with African theology. He was born of mixed Xhosa and Motswanna heritage to a poor family in Klerksdorp, South Africa. Entering adulthood, he trained as a teacher and married Nomalizo Leah Shenxanem in 1955, with whom he had four children.
LINA/WSG