Desmond Tutu’s long history of fighting for lesbian and gay rights

From The Conversation-

Archbishop Desmond Mpilo Tutu is mostly known to the world for his highly prominent role in the campaign against apartheid in South Africa. This role was internationally recognised by the awarding of the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize. 

Tutu continued his activism even after the country’s democratic transition in South Africa in the early 1990s. Among other things, he served as chair of the country’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission which sought to deal with the crimes and injustices under apartheid, and to bring about justice, healing and reconciliation in a wounded society. He retired as Archbishop of Cape Town in 1996.

In more recent years Tutu has become known for his strong advocacy on issues of sexuality, in particular the rights of lesbian and gay people. For instance, in 2013, he made global headlines with the clear and succinct statement, in typical Tutu fashion, that he:

"would rather go to hell than to a homophobic heaven."

More here-

https://theconversation.com/desmond-tutus-long-history-of-fighting-for-lesbian-and-gay-rights-131598

The Church of Nigeria Anglican Communion, Diocese of Ogbaru, Anambra State, on Monday, described Nigeria as a country at a crossroads and in a reverse gear without a steering. Addressing newsmen at the Basilica of St. James Cathedral, Atani, Ogbaru Local Government, the Bishop, Diocese of Ogbaru, Rt. Rev. Prosper Amah, said what Nigeria needed now was divine and international intervention to save it from collapse.

Read more at: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2020/02/nigeria-at-crossroads-reverse-gear-anglican-communion/

The Church of Nigeria Anglican Communion, Diocese of Ogbaru, Anambra State, on Monday, described Nigeria as a country at a crossroads and in a reverse gear without a steering. Addressing newsmen at the Basilica of St. James Cathedral, Atani, Ogbaru Local Government, the Bishop, Diocese of Ogbaru, Rt. Rev. Prosper Amah, said what Nigeria needed now was divine and international intervention to save it from collapse.

Read more at: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2020/02/nigeria-at-crossroads-reverse-gear-anglican-communion/

The Church of Nigeria Anglican Communion, Diocese of Ogbaru, Anambra State, on Monday, described Nigeria as a country at a crossroads and in a reverse gear without a steering. Addressing newsmen at the Basilica of St. James Cathedral, Atani, Ogbaru Local Government, the Bishop, Diocese of Ogbaru, Rt. Rev. Prosper Amah, said what Nigeria needed now was divine and international intervention to save it from collapse.

Read more at: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2020/02/nigeria-at-crossroads-reverse-gear-anglican-communion/

Desmond Tutu's daughter leaves clergy after marrying female partner

From The Guardian-

The daughter of one of the world’s best-known Christian leaders has given up her right to officiate as a priest in South Africa following marriage to her female partner.

Mpho Tutu-van Furth – whose father, Desmond Tutu, won the Nobel peace prize in 1984 for the struggle against apartheid in South Africa – said the move had been forced on her following her wedding to a Dutch academic.

“The canon [law] of the South African church states that marriage is between one man and one woman,” she said in a statement. After her marriage, the South African bishop who had given her permission to officiate as a priest in his diocese “was advised that he must revoke my licence. I offered to return my licence rather than require that he take it from me,” she added. 

More here-

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/may/24/desmond-tutus-daughter-leaves-clergy-after-marrying-female-partner?CMP=share_btn_fb&fbclid=IwAR1JInFFFjYIavJyiswHpePTjmiebnc3W5fKtXeZHvdsY1iTWlzkLgKnkro

S. Africa: Archbishop Desmond Tutu admitted to hospital

From South Africa-

Former South African anti-apartheid campaigner Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu has been admitted to a Cape Town hospital, his office said in a statement on Thursday.

“The Archbishop was in good spirits after settling into his ward. He hopes to be back home in a few days,” the statement said.

It added that the Nobel Peace Prize laureate will be turning 87 in 10 days’ time.

He has been admitted to an undisclosed hospital where a series of tests will be conducted on him.
The retired Anglican archbishop of Cape Town rose to prominence in the 1980s for his strong role in the opposition to apartheid rule in South Africa.

More here-

http://infosurhoy.com/cocoon/saii/xhtml/en_GB/news/s-africa-archbishop-desmond-tutu-admitted-to-hospital/ 

and here-

https://www.41nbc.com/2018/09/27/former-south-african-archbishop-desmond-tutu-admitted-to-hospital/

Author slams Tutu for silence on Anglican Church child abuse

From South Africa-

South African author Ishtiyaq Shukri has lashed out at Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu over his decision last month to step down as an ambassador for international aid organisation Oxfam in the wake of a sex scandal.

Shukri lambasted Tutu for not speaking out against sex abuses in the church – abuses that he says he was a victim of. Tutu‚ as chancellor of the University of the Western Cape‚ capped Shukri in 1990 when he graduated.

“The day Archbishop Tutu conferred my degree was not the first time I was touched by a clergyman from the Church of England in South Africa. In the years leading up to my graduation ceremony‚ I was being sexually abused by priests from the Church of England in South Africa. So far as I am aware‚ the Archbishop has never fully addressed such systematic and institutionalised sexual abuse happening in his own organization‚” he said.

More here-

https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2018-03-07-author-slams-tutus-silence-on-anglican-church-child-abuse/

Oxfam scandal: Archbishop Desmond Tutu steps down as ambassador

From The Church Times-

THE Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town, Dr Desmond Tutu, announced on Thursday that he would retire as an ambassador for Oxfam, because of “allegations of immorality and possible criminality” involving the charity’s aid workers.

The widening crisis over allegations of sexual abuse in the aid sector has led to the Charity Commission launching a formal inquiry and the Government threatening to remove millions of pounds of funding.

Allegations that Oxfam workers engaged prostitutes while working in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti have spread rapidly in recent days to cover other disaster zones and other agencies, calling into question the behaviour of aid workers and ability of charities to manage them.

More here-

https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2018/16-february/news/uk/oxfam-harassment-case-puts-pressure-on-ngos

also here-

https://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2018/02/15/oxfam-time-to-learn-not-destroy/

Church's view on homosexuality 'needs work' - Mpho Tutu van Furth

From New Zealand-

Mpho Tutu van Furth knows plenty about forgiveness, having been booted from the Anglican Church on account of her homosexuality.

Using the wisdom gained from her own experiences growing up as a black woman in apartheid-stricken South Africa, she co-authored The Book of Forgiving alongside her father, high-profile social activist and Anglican Bishop Desmond Tutu.

While she is free to continue her ministry in the United States, she had her licence rescinded in South Africa when she revealed she was gay - and she admits the period that followed was a difficult one.

"Do I forgive the church?" she wondered aloud on Thursday's edition of The AM Show. "I understand - I think I understand. I understand the challenge, but I don't necessarily feel that it's something that needs forgiveness.

"I think it's something that needs work, because the place that we're in is an entirely wrong and untenable place."

More here-

http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/world/2017/05/church-s-view-on-homosexuality-needs-work-mpho-tutu-van-furth.html

Desmond Tutu Joins Advocates To Call For Right To Assisted Death

From NPR-

Desmond Tutu, South Africa's former Anglican archbishop and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, recently celebrated his 85th birthday with an interesting message: He wants the option of an assisted death. Tutu has largely retired from public life, but is still considered the moral conscience of South Africa for his leading role in the fight against apartheid. Some were taken aback when Tutu said he wants the option to end his life when he chooses.

"As a Christian, I believe in the sanctity of life, and that death is a part of life," Tutu said in a recent video. "I hope that when the time comes I am treated with compassion and allowed to pass on to the next phase of life's journey in the manner of my choice." An assisted death is currently illegal in South Africa. The Supreme Court of Appeal reaffirmed that stance in December when it struck down a lower court's ruling that granted an applicant the right to euthanasia. Tutu, who has lived with prostate cancer for decades and has been in and out of the hospital in recent years, says he supports efforts around the globe to legalize the procedure. "I pray that politicians, lawmakers and religious leaders have the courage to support the choices terminally ill citizens make in departing Mother Earth with dignity and love," he said.

More here-

http://www.kpbs.org/news/2017/jan/04/at-85-desmond-tutu-calls-for-the-right-to-an/

Archbishops George Carey And Desmond Tutu Removed From King's College London Display In 'Gaystapo' Row

From Christian Today-

Former Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey was "fully supportive" of the decision to remove his portrait from the front of King's College, London.

The college, one of the top academic institutions in the world and part of the University of London, was accused of giving in to a "gay-stapo" because Lord Carey is known to take a conservative Christian line on the subject of gay marriage.


The portrait of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who supports gay marriage and whose own daughter relinquished her job as a vicar to marry her female partner, has also been removed, as has that of Sir Michael Howard, former leader of the Conservatives, who led the party's decision to support civil partnerships.

The picture of Lord Carey of Clifton was removed after a five-year campaign by students who opposed his views on gay marriage led by Ben Hunt, student union president who took part in the review of the static portraits last year.

 In an article on Conservative Woman website, King's College lecturer Niall McCrea and Rev Jules Gomes, pastor of St Augustine's Church, Douglas, on the Isle of Man, say: "For a prestigious
institution of Christian heritage to allow this campaign to claim victory is worrying.

More here-

http://www.christiantoday.com/article/archbishops.george.carey.and.desmond.tutu.removed.from.kings.college.london.display.in.gaystapo.row/103199.htm

Tutu wants choice of assisted death

From Health 24-

South African retired Anglican archbishop and anti-apartheid icon Desmond Tutu celebrated his 85th birthday on Friday, saying he would like to be allowed the option of dignified assisted death.

Treated with compassion

"Today, I myself am even closer to the departures hall than arrivals, so to speak, and my thoughts turn to how I would like to be treated when the time comes," Tutu wrote in an op-ed published in The Washington Post.

"I have prepared for my death and have made it clear that I do not wish to be kept alive at all costs," said Tutu, who was discharged from hospital late last month.

More here-

http://www.health24.com/Lifestyle/Seniors-and-caregivers/News/tutu-wants-choice-of-assisted-death-20161010

Nobel laureate Tutu celebrates 85th birthday, giving thanks

From AP-

Nobel laureate Desmond Tutu shed tears of gratitude on his 85th birthday on Friday in South Africa, where he presided over a cathedral Mass despite his poor health. Separately, in a newspaper column, the former archbishop said he would like to have the option of a "dignified assisted death" when the time comes.

Tutu was brought into St. George's Cathedral in a wheelchair but was later helped to his feet in church robes, a crucifix around his neck, for the Anglican ceremony. He wiped away tears and gave thanks at the sight of friends and well-wishers in the congregation.

More here-

http://www.sfchronicle.com/news/world/article/Nobel-laureate-Desmond-Tutu-celebrates-85th-9896459.php

Tutu discharged from hospital

From South Africa-

 Retired cleric and anti-apartheid campaigner Archbishop Desmond Tutu was discharged from hospital on Wednesday, after he was re-admitted on Saturday to treat an infection, his family said.

The 84-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner, who has been living with prostate cancer for nearly 20 years, was re-admitted to hospital to treat an infection following surgery this month.

More here-

http://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/western-cape/tutu-discharged-from-hospital-2071200

South Africa's Tutu returns to hospital due to infection

From Kansas (AP)

Nobel laureate Desmond Tutu was readmitted to a South African hospital on Saturday, just days after he left following three weeks of treatment there.

The 84-year-old retired archbishop returned to the hospital "as a precaution after his surgical wound had shown signs of infection," a family statement quoted Tutu's wife, Leah, as saying.

Tutu "underwent the surgical procedure 10 days ago to address the cause of recurring infections resulting from past treatment received for prostate cancer," the statement said.

Read more here:

http://www.kansas.com/news/nation-world/article102452357.html#storylink=cpy

Tutu discharged from hospital after surgery

From South Africa-

South African cleric and anti-apartheid icon Desmond Tutu was discharged from hospital on Wednesday after a successful surgery to treat recurring infections that have afflicted him for more than a year, his family said on Wednesday.

The 84-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner has struggled with ill health in recent years, but his family has not said whether his current ailment is related to the prostate cancer Tutu has battled with for nearly two decades.

More here-

http://pulse.ng/world/in-south-africa-tutu-discharged-from-hospital-after-surgery-id5491276.html

Nobel laureate Tutu marks 2 weeks in South Africa hospital

From South Africa-

The family of Nobel laureate Desmond Tutu says he is responding well to treatment for an infection after checking into a South African hospital two weeks ago.

The family of the retired archbishop said in a statement Tuesday that the 84-year-old Tutu will undergo a small surgical procedure in Cape Town on Wednesday. The statement does not specify what kind of infection Tutu has.

He was hospitalized several times last year.

Tutu was an outspoken opponent of apartheid, South Africa's former system of white minority rule, and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984.

Read more here:

http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/nation-world/article100127782.html#storylink=cpy

Desmond Tutu celebrates four decades of episcopal ministry

From Business Day-

ARCHBISHOP Emeritus Desmond Tutu’s voice will always be the voice of the voiceless‚ the congregation heard during a special thanksgiving service‚ celebrating his four decades of episcopal ministry‚ on Sunday.

The service‚ held at St Mary’s Cathedral in Johannesburg‚ presided over by his close friend‚ Reverend Barney Pityana‚ saw a joyful Archbishop Tutu moving and singing during songs of worship and praise.

"I can barely put it better‚ I think‚ than the late President Nelson Mandela did when he paid tribute to Archbishop Desmond — sometimes strident‚ he said‚ often tender‚ never afraid and seldom without humour.

More here-

http://www.bdlive.co.za/national/2016/07/10/desmond-tutu-celebrates-four-decades-of-episcopal-ministry

Desmond Tutu's reverend daughter chooses marriage with woman partner over priesthood

From Christian Times-

Mpho Tutu van Furth, the reverend daughter of the South African Nobel peace prize winner and rights champion, Desmond Tutu, was well aware that she could be losing her priesthood license if she married her woman partner. She decided to marry her, anyway.

"The choice was I can be priest or I can be with the person I love and I don't get to have both," Tutu van Furth shared in an interview with BBC released on Thursday, June 9.

She explained that her decision was simply a matter of choosing love.

"Everything else will fall into place somehow. When in doubt, just do the most loving thing," she advised.

More here-

http://christiantimes.com/article/desmond-tutus-reverend-daughter-chooses-marriage-with-woman-partner-over-priesthood/56937.htm

Tutu's daughter 'sad' to leave priesthood after gay marriage

From The BBC (video)-

The daughter of Archbishop Desmond Tutu has said she felt part of her had been "stripped away" when she had to relinquish the Anglican priesthood after marrying her female partner in December.

Mpho Tutu van Furth has been speaking to the BBC's Nomsa Maseko about falling in love, and the pain of leaving the church.

More here-

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-36486908

Desmond Tutu’s daughter married a woman, and was forced out of the South African clergy

From The Washington Post-

In a country still deeply riven by division over differences — in race, class, political affiliation and more — it is Mpho Tutu's "sameness" to her new wife that has created a stir.

Tutu (now Tutu-Van Furth) is the daughter of South Africa's first black archbishop and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, and is really only the "same" as her wife in one way — they are both women. But in almost every other imaginable way, they are different. Tutu is black, South African, a devout priest and, as she puts it, "vertically challenged." Marceline Tutu-Van Furth is lanky, Dutch, atheist and a professor of pediatric diseases in Amsterdam.

More here-

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/05/24/desmond-tutus-daughter-married-a-woman-now-she-is-banned-from-the-south-african-pulpit/

Tutu's daughter leaves Anglican Church after marrying a woman

From South Africa-

Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu's daughter has confirmed she has quit preaching in the Anglican Church after marrying a woman.

Reverend Mpho Tutu-Van Furth says her licence to preach is being revoked.

She and her partner, Marceline van Furth, are on honeymoon in Bali after tying the knot at Franschhoek in the Boland.

Tutu-Van Furth says she has decided to surrender her ministerial duties because the South African Anglican Church does not recognise same-sex marriages.

More here-

http://www.sabc.co.za/news/a/69ddc8004cdcf99dbd26fd994b739371/Tutus-daughter-leaves-Anglican-Church-after-marrying-a-woman-20160523

Desmond Tutu’s lesbian daughter weds

From StarFM-

Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu’s daughter, Reverend Mpho Tutu, who is a lesbian got married on Wednesday.

Her lesbian marriage stands in stark contrast to her Tutu parents, who recently renewed their wedding vows on the occasion of their 60th wedding anniversary.

Mpho Tutu exchanged vows in a small private ceremony, with her longtime partner Professor Marceline Furth in Oegstgeest a town and municipality in the province of South Holland in western Netherlands. Their wedding will be celebrated in Cape Town in May.

Furth is a professor in Pediatric Infectious Diseases at the Vrije University in Amsterdam and Tutu is currently the executive director of the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation, and holds the Desmond Tutu Chair in Medicine at the university.

This is the second marriage for both. Canon Tutu, the youngest daughter of Desmond and Leah Tutu, was married to Joseph Burris. They had two daughters, Nyaniso and Onalenna.

More here-

http://starrfmonline.com/1.8524817