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Desmond Tutu
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The name Desmond Tutu resonates richly with people all across the world. While his vigorous anti-apartheid activism in his native South Africa first propelled him into the glare of international news media, today he is revered as a “moral voice” and someone who speaks with gravitas on a range of issues. While he is an Anglican Archbishop emeritus and thus unflinching in his religious beliefs, Tutu also places great value on religious inclusiveness and interfaith dialogue.

Born in Klerksdorp, near Johannesburg, South Africa, in 1931, Tutu initially followed in his father’s footsteps and obtained teaching qualifications. However, following the introduction of Bantu education in 1958, he decided to enter the ministry. He was ordained to the priesthood in Johannesburg three years later.

Following further theological studies in London, Tutu held several positions in teaching and theological work in South and Southern Africa. Then, in 1978, he was persuaded to leave his job as Bishop of Lesotho to become the new General Secretary of the South African Council of Churches (SACC). It was in this position, which he held until 1985, that Tutu became a national and international figure.

The SACC is committed to fulfilling the social responsibility of the Church, and as its chairperson, Tutu led a formidable crusade for justice and racial conciliation in South Africa. His tireless work was recognized in 1984, when he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Then, following a short stint as the Bishop of Johannesburg, Tutu was elected Archbishop of Cape Town in 1986, an office he held until his retirement in 1996.

While many of Tutu’s critics predicted that he would enter political life once the African National Congress and other political organizations had been unbanned, he never did. Instead, he became a key mediator and conciliator in the difficult transition toward democracy. In 1996, he was appointed by President Nelson Mandela to chair the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the body set up to probe gross human rights violations during apartheid.

Following the presentation of the Commission’s report to the President in October 1998, Tutu has been visiting professor at several overseas universities, and he has also published several books, the latest of which is entitled God has a Dream. He has set up a private office in Cape Town, near his home.

Blog Entries by Desmond Tutu

Talking About Rape

(48) Comments | Posted May 20, 2013 | 3:48 PM

What will you discuss with your children this evening? Sports, the weather, celebrity gossip, rape?

We are from three generations (81, 50, and 36 years old), three faiths (Christian, Muslim, Jewish), and three continents (Africa, Asia, North America). One of us is a religious leader, one a writer and rape...

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Architecting the End of AIDS

(10) Comments | Posted November 29, 2012 | 10:20 AM

Today, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton released the U.S. government's "Blueprint for an AIDS-Free Generation," providing a road map for how the world can control the spread of HIV. The document explains that by more effectively applying the tools and knowledge we already have,...

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A Promise to Girls

(115) Comments | Posted October 11, 2012 | 9:06 AM

Today is our human family's first-ever International Day of the Girl.

This is a day to celebrate the fact that it is girls who will change the world; that the empowerment of girls holds the key to development and security for families, communities and societies worldwide. It also recognizes the...

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God is Not a Christian

(457) Comments | Posted September 30, 2012 | 12:19 PM

A darker side is re-emerging and gaining ground. There is an increase in xenophobia, homophobia, discrimination, racism, religious intolerance and attacks on minorities - fuelled by far-right and populist agendas - and all too often by religious extremists.

Far-right parties are gaining ground in Europe at an...

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For the Future of Our Planet, a Dialogue Between Generations

(86) Comments | Posted June 8, 2012 | 11:08 AM

The month of June is upon us and as Rio+20, the UN Conference on Sustainable Development, draws nearer, I find myself reflecting on the many great changes the past 20 years have brought, since that first Earth Summit, also in Rio, when the world met to announce a...

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Made for Goodness

(62) Comments | Posted January 12, 2012 | 7:00 AM

We are each made for goodness, love and compassion. Our lives are transformed as much as the world is when we live with these truths. Congratulations to Arianna Huffington and The Huffington Post for offering a new way to celebrate these truths with the launch of Good News!...

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Iran's War Against Knowledge -- An Open Letter to the International Academic Community

(280) Comments | Posted September 25, 2011 | 11:00 PM

The forward progress of humankind in the last centuries has been fueled, more than any other factor, by increasing access to information, more rapid exchange of ideas, and in most parts of the world, universal education.

Freedom of education and freedom of information are integral to freedom of thought. Few...

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Our Glorious Diversity: Why We Should Celebrate Difference

(178) Comments | Posted June 21, 2011 | 9:37 AM

As the world's memory of apartheid receded, Desmond Tutu responded to a stream of invitations to speak around the world on the practical implications of ubuntu. An excerpt from a speech to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in Geneva in 2001 follows.

We inhabit a universe that is...

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All Are God's Children: On Including Gays and Lesbians in the Church and Society

(1867) Comments | Posted June 11, 2011 | 7:39 AM

The following is excerpted from the Archbishop Desmond Tutu's new book, 'God Is Not A Christian: And Other Provocations'.

Archbishop Tutu dissents from the official policies of most of the world's Anglican churches, which hold that gays and lesbians should be celibate; and in the years since his...

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God Is Not a Christian

(2729) Comments | Posted June 1, 2011 | 9:25 PM

The following is excerpted from the Archbishop Desmond Tutu's new book, 'God Is Not A Christian: And Other Provocations.'

This talk also comes from a forum in Britain, where Tutu addressed leaders of different faiths during a mission to the city of Birmingham in 1989.

They tell the...

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It's Time for Iran to Live Up to Its Commitment to Justice and Compassion

(106) Comments | Posted May 8, 2011 | 6:21 PM

Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal have endured more than 21 months of uncertainty and isolation for no just reason and I urge the Iranian authorities to allow them finally to return home.

There is no evidence to support the charges against them. The world will be watching the actions...

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Arizona: The Wrong Answer

(1687) Comments | Posted April 29, 2010 | 9:24 PM

I am saddened today at the prospect of a young Hispanic immigrant in Arizona going to the grocery store and forgetting to bring her passport and immigration documents with her. I cannot be dispassionate about the fact that the very act of her being in the grocery store will soon...

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Facing the Future: Global Education at the Crossroads

(24) Comments | Posted April 21, 2010 | 11:00 AM

When we see the face of a child, we think of the future. We think of their dreams about what they might become, and what they might accomplish. But today, there are 72 million children in the world who have had at least part of their futures stolen from them....

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Divesting From Injustice

(862) Comments | Posted April 13, 2010 | 10:38 AM

It was with great joy that I learned of the recent 16-4 vote at UC Berkeley in support of divesting the university's money from companies that enable and profit from the injustice of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land and violation of Palestinian human rights. Principled stands like this, supported...

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Sudan Between Peril and Hope

(5) Comments | Posted January 14, 2010 | 11:08 AM

Algiers -- The future of Sudan hangs in the balance. National elections are due in April. A referendum on the future status of the south of the country is supposed to follow in 2011. Both were key ingredients of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement, which ended 20 years of civil...

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The Changing Face of Service

(54) Comments | Posted January 9, 2009 | 6:30 PM

We live in a time when no single government or alliance of nations can alone solve the scandal of poverty, the warming of our planet or the scourge of disease. Human and natural disasters require something more to fill the enormous gaps between people's needs and the capacity of bureaucracies...

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Three Billion Reasons For Bush to Take Action on Climate Change at G8

(50) Comments | Posted June 7, 2007 | 11:57 AM

I can think of three billion reasons why President Bush should agree to take action on climate change at this week's G8 Summit in Heiligendamm, Germany, one for every person in the world living on less than two dollars a day. These people are not responsible for global warming, but...

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