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Archbishop Desmond Tutu
CHICAGO, IL (March 27, 2003) - Desmond Tutu was 12 years old when he first met Father Trevor Huddleston,
an Anglican cleric and an early outspoken critic of apartheid. While Tutu's
earliest aspirations were to follow the career path of his father and
become a schoolteacher, the life, work and message of Father Huddleston
would remain close to the future archbishop for years to come.
After earning his teaching diploma and a Bachelor of Arts from the
University of South Africa, Tutu spent the next four years teaching high
school. In 1958 he entered ministry in the Church of the Province of
Southern Africa and was ordained to the priesthood in 1961. He obtained a
Bachelor of Divinity Honours and a Master of Theology degree and returned
to South Africa in 1967.
His appointment in 1975 as dean of St. Mary's Cathedral in Johannesburg was
brief as his election to Bishop of Lesotho soon followed. By this time,
South Africa was in the wake of the 1976 Soweto uprising and deep in
turmoil. Tutu assumed the position as general secretary of the South
African Council of Churches, which catapulted him into the national and
international spotlight.
The council is committed to causes of ecumenism and social responsibility
on the part of the church. Justice and reconciliation are chief priorities.
Tutu pursued those goals with vigor, moving the council into a spiritual
and political leadership role, providing assistance to victims of apartheid
and inevitably placing Tutu deep within the controversy as he spoke out
against injustices in the system.
Following the award of his Nobel Peace prize, Tutu spent the next five
years working to bridge the chasm between white and black Anglicans in
South Africa, eventually in the role as archbishop of Cape Town. Currently,
he is chancellor of the University of the Western Cape. In 1995, President
Mandela appointed Tutu to head the Truth and Reconciliation Commission,
which submitted its first report in 1998. He retired from the office of
archbishop in June 1996, but was named Archbishop Emeritus one month later.
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