Biography bishop desmond tutu and nelson

“Do your little bit of good where you are; it is those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” ~ Desmond Tutu

On December 26, 2021, the Most Reverend Desmond Tutu, former Archbishop of Cape Town, passed away at the age of 90 in Cape Town, South Africa. Tutu led a life of service to the Anglican church, culminating in his promotion to Bishop of Johannesburg in 1985, and then Archbishop of Cape Town from 1986 until 1996. He was the first Black African to hold these most senior positions in the Anglican church hierarchy for that region. “The Arch” (as he was popularly known) was also known for his work to end Apartheid and as a human rights activist. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984.

Desmond Mpilo Tutu was born October 7, 1931 in northwest South Africa of Motswana and Xhosa heritage. In 1951, he began his studies to become a teacher at Pretoria Bantu Normal College, briefly meeting future president Nelson Mandela. In 1954, Tutu began teaching high school English and history, and also met his wife Nomalizo Leah Shenxane a teacher and nurse. After marrying in 1955, the Tutus had four children. As Apartheid deepened and solidified, Tutu turned away from the institutionalized inferior education system and became an Anglican priest, being ordained in 1960.

In 1978, Desmond Tutu was made General Secretary of the South African Council of Churches, granting him his first international exposure and ability to challenge the system of Apartheid. Tutu was committed to non-violent anti-apartheid opposition and protest – regularly voicing support of the international economic boycott of South Africa, and attending marches, protests, and rallies. While visiting the United States in 1984, Tutu addressed the United Nations Security Council, and met with the Congressional Black Caucus. In spite of being critical of the administration and US relations with the Apartheid government, Tutu visited the White House and was welc

South African bishop and anti-apartheid activist (1931–2021)

Desmond Mpilo Tutu (7 October 1931 – 26 December 2021) was a South AfricanAnglican bishop and theologian, known for his work as an anti-apartheid and human rights activist. He was Bishop of Johannesburg from 1985 to 1986 and then Archbishop of Cape Town from 1986 to 1996, in both cases being the first Black African to hold the position. Theologically, he sought to fuse ideas from Black theology with African theology.

Tutu was born of mixed Xhosa and Motswana heritage to a poor family in Klerksdorp, South Africa. Entering adulthood, he trained as a teacher and married Nomalizo Leah Tutu, with whom he had several children. In 1960, he was ordained as an Anglican priest and in 1962 moved to the United Kingdom to study theology at King's College London. In 1966 he returned to southern Africa, teaching at the Federal Theological Seminary and then the University of Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland. In 1972, he became the Theological Education Fund's director for Africa, a position based in London but necessitating regular tours of the African continent. Back in southern Africa in 1975, he served first as dean of St Mary's Cathedral in Johannesburg and then as Bishop of Lesotho; from 1978 to 1985 he was general-secretary of the South African Council of Churches. He emerged as one of the most prominent opponents of South Africa's apartheid system of racial segregation and white minority rule. Although warning the National Party government that anger at apartheid would lead to racial violence, as an activist he stressed non-violent protest and foreign economic pressure to bring about universal suffrage.

In 1985, Tutu became Bishop of Johannesburg and in 1986 the Archbishop of Cape Town, the most senior position in southern Africa's Anglican hierarchy. In this position, he emphasised a consensus-building model of leadership and oversaw the introduction of female priests. Also