A humble giant in the Earth has left us. Archbishop Desmond Tutu was a friend and a mentor to many of us in the family of Religions for Peace. As an inspirational church leader, he became an ecumenical pillar and a messenger of hope on the world stage. His laughter opened our hearts, and his tongue sharpened our conscience. His trust in God and Humanity prevailed against the evils of all forms of racism and sexism, intolerance and bigotry. Dismantling the diabolic system of apartheid in South Africa earned him the Nobel Peace Prize. Truth and reconciliation were his heartbeats, a pervasive injustice his sorrow. As a man of the rainbow and the cross, he taught us never to give up the hope that people of all colours and faiths, ethnic and gender identities, rich and poor of all generations, are to be the risen people.
By: Gunnar Stålsett, Honorary President of Religions for Peace