Tutu latest Anglican to support assisted suicide

From International News-

South Africa’s Anglican archbishop emeritus Desmond Tutu on Sunday said he supported assisted dying for the terminally-ill, the day after the Church’s former leader backed a bill to legalise it in Britain.

But the Church remains officially opposed to the legislation and has called for a public inquiry into the issue.

Writing in Britain’s Observer newspaper, Tutu explained that he had been convinced by the case of Craig Schonegevel, a 28-year-old South African who suffered from neurofibromatosis and ended up killing himself because doctors were unable to end his life.

“Some people opine that with good palliative care there is no need for assisted dying, no need for people to request to be legally given a lethal dose of medication,” said the Nobel Peace laureate. “That was not the case for Craig Schonegevel. Others assert their right to autonomy and consciousness - why exit in the fog of sedation when there’s the alternative of being alert and truly present with loved ones?”

More here-

http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-1-261644-Tutu-latest-Anglican-to-support-assisted-suicide

Albertans react to Desmond Tutu's visit to oilsands

From CBC- (with video)


Anglican archbishop Desmond Tutu sparked controversy across the province during his visit to Fort McMurray.

Tutu, who won the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in the fight against apartheid in South Africa, has taken strong stands on climate change and against projects such as the Keystone XL pipeline. 

"The fact that this filth is being created now, when the link between carbon emissions and global warming is so obvious, reflects negligence and greed," Tutu told more than 200 people at a conference in Fort McMurray Saturday.

His comments have prompted many Albertans to voice their own opinion on the matter. 

More here-

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/albertans-react-to-desmond-tutu-s-visit-to-oilsands-1.2661372

Tutu Accepted Kickbacks to Endorse Gay Agenda, Claims Anglican Archbishop

From Charisma News-

Retired Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s recent comments in support of the gay agenda have drawn fire from colleagues, including a statement by an African archbishop that Tutu may have accepted gratuities to do so.

Anglican Archbishop Yinkah Sarfo of Ghana strongly condemned Tutu over his comments, in which Tutu declared he would not worship a God who is homophobic, adding, “I would refuse to go to a homophobic heaven. ... I mean, I would much rather go to the other place [hell].”

The Anglican archbishop was speaking at a United Nations’ Gay Rights Campaign function in Cape Town, South Africa, recently.

“Archbishop Tutu is respected in the Anglican church and around the world, but this time he has misfired, and all Anglican bishops from Africa, Asia and South America condemn his statement in no uncertain terms,” Sarfo told Ghana’s Adom News.

Sarfo said Tutu’s comments were not the stand of the entire Anglican communion, which is increasingly led by traditionalist voices from the global south that adhere to a more conservative theological perspective.

More here-

http://www.charismanews.com/world/40506-tutu-accepted-kickbacks-to-endorse-gay-agenda-claims-anglican-archbishop

Ghanaian Bishop slams Desmond Tutu over gay comment

From Ghana-

The Anglican Archbishop of the Ashanti Region, Archbishop Yinkah Sarfo, has strongly condemned retired Archbishop Desmond Tutu over his comments that he preferred hell to an ‘anti-gay’ heaven.

"Archbishop Tutu is respected in the Anglican Church and around the world but this time he has misfired and all Anglican Bishops from Africa, Asia and South America condemn his statement in no uncertain terms," he told Adom News.

The retired South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu joined the ranks of gay rights supporters when he spoke at a United Nations’ Gay Rights Campaign function in Cape Town, South Africa last week.

Archbishop Tutu stated that he would not worship a God who is homophobic, adding that “I would refuse to go to a homophobic heaven… I mean, I would much rather go to the other place [hell].” Tutu said.

Tutu likened gay rights to the civil rights battle for blacks and apartheid, saying “I am as passionate about this campaign as I ever was about apartheid, for me, it is at the same level.”

Meanwhile, Pope Francis also said this week that he would not “judge” gay priests that are sexually inactive, if he happened to learn about their sexual orientation.

More here-

http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=280939

Comments By Pope Francis And Archbishop Tutu Are On Gay Rights Not Clear

From Ghana-

Comments made by Pope Francis of the Catholic faith and Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa regarding gay rights are to say the least very confusing. We need clear messages from God backed by their faiths to give hope to humanity.

While Pope Francis said on his trip to Brazil that he cannot judge ex gays and lesbians priests so long as they follow the right path of worship, Desmond Tutu said in a UN meeting on gays in South Africa that he would not worship a God who is homophobic. This, to the respected clergyman, means that all those against gays and lesbians are homophobic. What does he mean by homophobia? Where did he get this knowledge, from the United Nations Europe or the gay right movement?

The two men are held in high esteem for the positions they hold globally. However one is at a loss as to the true positions they hold regarding gay and lesbianism.

The questions to ask is are they in support and approve the position of the Gay Right Movement? They need to clear the air, else their current position might lead to confusion in the minds of their followers and many more on gay and lesbianism.

However some clergymen in Ghana and some parts of Africa and the world have expressed surprise and disapprove the stand taken by the two clergymen and have called on Catholics, Anglicans and the rest of the people to ignore them.

More here-

http://vibeghana.com/2013/07/30/comments-by-pope-francis-and-archbishop-tutu-are-on-gay-rights-not-clear/

Former Archbishop Desmond Tutu Says He Would Choose Hell Over 'Homophobic' Heaven

From Christian Post- (with link to video)


Speaking recently at the United Nation's launch of its "Free & Equal" campaign to promote fair treatment of LGBT persons, former archbishop and South African anti-apartheid activist Desmond Tutu declared that the issue was so close to his heart that he "would refuse to go to a homophobic heaven" and instead choose "the other place."

The 1984 Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former head of the South African Anglican Church and South African Council of Churches made the remarks last Friday, July 26, during the press event in his home country, where same-sex marriage is Calling for greater protections for lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender persons, Archbishop Emeritus Tutu, 81, said, "I would refuse to go to a homophobic heaven. No, I would say sorry, I mean I would much rather go to the other place."

He added, "I would not worship a God who is homophobic and that is how deeply I feel about this."
Read more at

http://www.christianpost.com/news/former-archbishop-desmond-tutu-says-he-would-choose-hell-over-homophobic-heaven-101071/#DM93YpPlk8TZtpjh.99

Former archbishop Desmond Tutu, 81, expecting to be in hospital for days after he is admitted for 'persistent infection'

From The Daily Mail-

Retired archbishop Desmond Tutu has checked into a South African hospital for treatment of a persistent infection.

The Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation said the Nobel Peace Prize laureate will undergo tests to discover the cause of the infection.

The foundation says 81-year-old Tutu spent this morning in his office before going to a Cape Town hospital and was in good spirits.

It added the non-surgical treatment is expected to take five days.
Tutu was a vigorous campaigner against the system of white racist rule known as apartheid, which ended when democratic elections were held in 1994.

The Nobel Prize Winner was also the first black South African Archbishop of Cape Town, South Africa and primate of the Anglican Church of South Africa.

He became a prominent leader, crusading for justice and racial conciliation in South Africa.
In 1984 he received a Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his contributions to that cause.

His hospitalisation comes weeks after Nelson Mandela, South Africa's first black president, was taken into hospital.

Read more:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2314223/Former-archbishop-Desmond-Tutu-81-expecting-hospital-days-admitted-hospital-persistent-infection.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

Tutu wins Templeton Prize

From CNN-

Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the Anglican cleric who played a key role in ending apartheid in South Africa, is the winner of the 2013 Templeton Prize, the foundation that awards the prize announced Thursday.

The Templeton Prize "honors a living person who has made an exceptional contribution to affirming life's spiritual dimension, whether through insight, discovery, or practical works," the John Templeton Foundation says on its website.

Desmond Mpilo Tutu, the son of a schoolteacher and a domestic servant, was ordained a priest in 1961.

In 1975, he became the first black priest appointed Anglican dean of St. Mary's Cathedral in Johannesburg.

He became bishop of Lesotho the following year, and in 1978 he was named the first black secretary general of the interdenominational South African Council of Churches.

Tutu, now 81, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for his efforts to end and heal the wounds of apartheid, South Africa's system of institutionalized racial segregation.

More here-

http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2013/04/04/tutu-wins-templeton-prize/

Tutus celebrate 57 years of wedded bliss

From South Africa-

After more than five decades of marriage and four children, Anglican Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu and his wife, Leah, are as affectionate with each other as playful newlyweds.

One of SA’s most beloved couples, the Tutus celebrated their 57th wedding anniversary this month. And on Tuesday the pair marked the milestone publicly at the launch of the Ubuntu in the Home project, held at the City of Cape Town’s Civic Centre.

This a joint project launched by the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation and the SA Faith and Family Institute, and is aimed at teaching faith leaders how to deal with cases of domestic violence.

Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille presented the Tutus with a celebratory cake, which they fed to one another – just like newlyweds at their wedding reception.

Daughter Mpho Tutu said her parents’ marriage was a “partnership in the truest sense of the word”.

More here-

http://www.iol.co.za/news/politics/tutus-celebrate-57-years-of-wedded-bliss-1.1348819#.UA_LSmhYzjQ

Desmond Tutu Backs Occupy Wall Street Push for Duarte Square

Form New York-

Occupy Wall Street protesters seeking long-term use of a Trinity Church-owned lot in Hudson Square gained a powerful backer Thursday night, when Archbishop Desmond Tutu urged the house of worship to allow protesters to use the space.

In a "message of solidarity" posted to OccupyWallStreet.org that addressed protesters as "Sisters and Brothers," the South African Nobel Peace Prize winner likened his country's and the protesters' struggles and asked Trinity to work with them.

"I appeal to [Trinity] to find a way to help you," he wrote. "I appeal to them to embrace the higher calling of Our Lord Jesus Christ — which they live so well in all other ways."

Tutu added on Friday that protesters seeking to occupy land at the northeast corner of Varick and Canal streets, where demonstrators and a DNAinfo photographer were arrested Nov. 15, should not use his statement to justify breaking the law.

"It is not necessary to forcibly break into property. Nor is it [necessary] to reinforce or build higher the barriers between people of faith who seek peace and justice," he said.

Read more:

http://www.dnainfo.com/20111216/greenwich-village-soho/desmond-tutu-backs-occupy-wall-street-push-for-duarte-square#ixzz1gnEc3hPf

Reach for stars, Tutu tells well-wishers in Sophiatown

From South Africa-

IT WAS a celebration of reconciliation and transformation.

More than 100 people crammed into Christ the King Anglican Church in Sophiatown, Joburg, yesterday to celebrate Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu’s 80th birthday.

He waved happily at the congregation as they sang him a spirited Happy Birthday.

Despite feeling unwell, he did his signature dance as he made his way towards the lectern, from where he showed his lighter side and quirky sense of humour.

“I’ve already had three days of celebrations, so when I was informed that the church was organising something, I thought ooh, now it’s going to be an orgy,” he told the congregation.

He urged South Africans to make use of all opportunities afforded to them and help build a democratic country.

“Now the sky is the limit. There is now no longer anything stopping you from being anything you want to be.

More here-

http://www.iol.co.za/capeargus/reach-for-stars-tutu-tells-well-wishers-in-sophiatown-1.1158701

From Huffington-

Desmond Tutu blasted the South African government Tuesday after officials delayed the Dalai Lama's visa request to attend friend Tutu's 80th birthday celebration in the country.

Tutu criticized the decision, saying "whether [the government says] so or not, they were quite determined that they [were] not going to do anything that would upset the Chinese," according to the New York Times.

After multiple failed attempts at contacting officials about the visa request, the Dalai Lama announced Tuesday that he had to cancel the trip, which was set to begin Oct. 6.

At a news conference, Tutu continued by saying the government was "worse than the apartheid government, because at least you were expecting it with the apartheid government," the Telegraph reports. (Scroll to watch a clip.)

The government's decision has ignited some protests in South Africa, the Wall Street Journal reports. Residents are concerned the government has bowed to China by blocking the Dalai Lama's entry so as not to hurt trade.

More here-

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/05/tutu-blasts-government-dalai-lama-cancels-visit_n_996249.html

Archbishop Tutu: lingering effects of apartheid include "self-hate"

From ACNS-

Retired Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu has said apartheid had left South Africans suffering from "self-hate" which is partly to blame for the country's vicious crime rate and road carnage.

"Apartheid damaged us all; not a single one of us has escaped," said Tutu on 11 August during a book launch at Stellenbosch University's Institute for Advanced Study near Cape Town.

The Nobel Peace Prize Laureate said the nation was no longer surprised by statistics of violent crime, murder, rape as "when you suffer from self hate you project it to others who look like you."

As for the nation's high auto accident rates, he said, "we drive recklessly, inconsiderately, aggressively ... because deep down we are angry and so the appalling carnage on our roads during the holidays ... [these] horrendous statistics we just accept."

Tutu, who in 1995 headed the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), a restorative justice court, also criticized current politicians, calling upon members of President Jacob Zuma's cabinet, most of whom are black, to show concern for the poor by selling their expensive cars.
Tutu called for a small "wealth tax"on all white South Africans as they had benefited during apartheid, the race based segregation system that operated between 1948 and 1994, according to the Cape Argus.

More here-

http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acns/digest/index.cfm/2011/8/15/Archbishop-Tutu-lingering-effects-of-apartheid-include-selfhate

Tutu receives top accolade amid controversy

From South Africa-

Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu has drawn both praise and criticism this week.

He was honoured by FIFA but slammed as anti-Semitic by hundreds of people.

Over 300 activists have now signed a petition calling for him to be axed as patron of the holocaust centres in Johannesburg and Cape Town.

The signatories come from the United States, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Germany, Canada and South Africa and have cited Tutu’s numerous anti-Semitic and anti-Israel sentiments.

The news came days after the cleric was given the prestigious FIFA Presidential Award for his role in the 2010 FIFA World Cup’s success.

More here-

http://www.eyewitnessnews.co.za/articleprog.aspx?id=56846

Tutu Urges South African Opera Company Not to Perform in Israel

From The NY Times-

Desmond Tutu, the former Anglican archbishop of Cape Town, has urged an opera company there not to perform in Israel, invoking South Africa’s long struggle against apartheid in criticizing Israel’s policy toward Palestinians, The Associated Press reported. The Cape Town Opera is scheduled to perform “Porgy and Bess” at the Tel Aviv Opera House beginning on Nov. 12. But Archbishop Tutu, a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize who retired from his official duties earlier this month, said in a statement that the tour should be postponed “until both Israeli and Palestinian opera lovers of the region have equal opportunity and unfettered access to attend performances.”

“Just as we said during apartheid that it was inappropriate for international artists to perform in South Africa in a society founded on discriminatory laws and racial exclusivity, so it would be wrong for Cape Town Opera to perform in Israel,” Archbishop Tutu said in his statement. He added that it would be “unconscionable” for the opera company to perform “Porgy and Bess,” which he said has a “universal message of nondiscrimination.”

Hanna Munitz, general director of the Israeli Opera, said in a statement that the intent of the collaboration between the companies “is culture and art, and definitely not politics,” adding: “Both houses relate to culture as a bridge, the aim of which is to be above any political dispute. Furthermore, the fact of the matter is that very big performance companies arrive in Israel from abroad all the time.”

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/26/tutu-urges-south-african-opera-company-not-to-perform-in-israel/?src=twrhp

Tutu, 79, Retires from High-Profile Public Life

From The VOA-

Archbishop Desmond Tutu has retired from public life to spend more time with his family and on personal pursuits. However, the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate will continue some leadership roles.

Archbishop Tutu marked his 79th birthday and his retreat from public life with a party for family and friends on a cruise ship in Cape Town harbor.

The "Arch" as he is fondly known in South Africa, said in July he was spending too much time on planes and in airports on the lecture and conference circuit. Rather he said, he wants to have tea in the afternoons with his wife, write, pray, and watch lots of sport on TV.

Tutu used the pulpit and his clerical standing to boldly challenge the apartheid government for the injustices of the race based system. His actions brought him global recognition and the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984. He became the darling of the international media, but the target of government invective and anger. In an earlier interview Tutu told VOA that he may have been the one to stand out, but many others were at his side.

"I had very many supporting me and if I was standing it was because of all the many who were carrying me on their shoulders," he said. "And that is not being conventionally modest, it is the truth."

More here-

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/africa/Nobel-Prize-Winner-Desmond-Tutu-Retires-From-Public-Life-104493694.html

Tutu: Van Zyl Slabbert defied own people

From South Africa-

A memorial service for the former politician and businesman, who died at home with his family after an illness, will be held in Diepsloot , a family spokesperson said. “It took the pioneering and indomitable spirit of many different South Africans to overcome apartheid.

Dr Frederik Van Zyl Slabbert was one of those pioneers,” said Tutu of the former politician who died in Johannesburg last Friday. “He went against his upbringing, his culture, his peers to offer an alternative, progressive Afrikaner voice to the Afrikaner Nationalist government of the time.” He said that Slabbert had started challenging the status quo when he was a student at Stellenbosch University, where he openly rejected apartheid, and went on to do so as leader of the opposition in the then Progressive Federal Party, and in Parliament.

He resigned from Parliament saying he did not want to be in the slipstream of government’s incompetence and moved on to arrange a meeting between the exiled ANC and a group of about 60 influential white South Africans, most of them Afrikaners, in Senegal.

More here-

http://www.timeslive.co.za/local/article453630.ece/Tutu--Van-Zyl-Slabbert-defied-own-people

Desmond Tutu: release 3 US hikers held in Iran

From The Washington Post-

Retired South African archbishop Desmond Tutu is calling for the urgent release of three American hikers detained for nearly nine months in Iran.

In a statement Wednesday Tutu says two of the hikers are ill and they are all suffering emotionally and are considering a hunger strike. He says Shane Bauer, Josh Fattal and Sarah Shourd have committed no crime.

The three Americans have been held since crossing the border from Iraq in July. Their families say they unintentionally strayed while hiking.

They all attended the University of California at Berkeley. Fattal's family lives near Philadelphia, Bauer's in Pine City, Minnesota, and Shourd's in Oakland, California.

Tutu, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, is the former head of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa.

More here-

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/28/AR2010042801098.html

Episcopal Diocese to consecrate bishop

From Connecticut-

The state will be the shining star of the Anglican Communion today when the Rev. Ian T. Douglas is consecrated the 15th bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut.

Douglas sits on the Anglican Consultative Council, which represents Anglicans worldwide, so he is well known outside the Episcopal Church. He asked a friend, Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, to be the preacher today.

Douglas, formerly professor of world mission at Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Mass., said his connections will benefit the diocese, and vice versa.

“I’m not afraid to call in favors around the world to help us in Connecticut,” he said recently. “I have a pretty good Rolodex that I would hope to utilize.”

As for his new flock, “The Diocese of Connecticut has so much to offer,” he said. “I think we need to be generously making those resources available to those beyond our boundaries.”

According to tradition, bishops are consecrated by having three other bishops lay hands on them, extending a succession said to go back to the Apostles.

Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefforts Schori will be chief consecrator, joined by Bishop Michael Curry of North Carolina and Edward Little of northern Indiana. Douglas said he chose them because they are diverse in race, sex and theology, and so represent “the catholicity of the church.”

More here-

http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2010/04/17/news/bb9_tepiscopal_bishop041710.txt

Desmond Tutu, Insisting We Are 'Made For Goodness'

From NPR-

Our occasional series with people of broad experience turns this week to a man characterized by his faith — and his willingness to fight.

In the era of apartheid, Archbishop Desmond Tutu railed against the injustice and inhumanity of South Africa's government, and his passionate advocacy helped make the change that came to that country in the 1990s.

Now 78, in a magenta habit with a crucifix around his neck, he is the picture of a holy man. But looking back on his boyhood in one of South Africa's black townships, Tutu remembers an urchin with a fondness for marbles and comic books. And even in church, "we had fun," the archbishop tells NPR's Renee Montagne.

The memories linger even now. There's joy in Tutu's voice as he recalls a song he sang as a child: "If God be for us, who can be against us?" the verse asked.

"It was a fantastic thing to have much, much later," Tutu says — "to remember, 'Yes, if God be for us in our struggle against injustice and oppression, who can be against us?' "

Perhaps unsurprisingly, one of Tutu's early role models was an Anglican priest — a black South African who "was treated like a big chief when he arrived" on the rural farms where he served in mission churches. And yet he was "an incredible human being ... who had this degree of caring for lesser mortals. And who knows, I was probably seeking to emulate him."

More here-

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124539592