Central Presbyterian Church issued the following announcement on Dec. 28.
A mighty oak has fallen! The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) joins South African partners and people of faith around the world in giving thanks to God for the life, ministry and witness of Desmond Mpilo Tutu, the Anglican Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town, who died Sunday, December 26 at the age of 90.
Archbishop Tutu played an enormous role in South Africa’s transition from institutionalized white supremacy — known as apartheid —to a democratic state whose constitution protects the rights of all the country’s people.
As the first Black General Secretary of the South African Council of Churches (SACC) from 1978 to 1984, his courageous leadership and outspoken support for the campaign against apartheid, including his endorsement of international economic sanctions, helped to deepen the involvement of the global ecumenical movement in the struggle for human and civil rights in South Africa and the region. Following his election as the Archbishop of Cape Town in 1986, he continued to work for the dignity of all, building alliances with community groups and making St. George’s Cathedral a beacon of hope in the struggle for liberation.
Original source can be found here.
Source: Central Presbyterian Church
