The Lead

President Obama on Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s Retirement

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
October 7, 2010

Statement by the President on the Retirement of Archbishop Desmond Tutu

It is with deep appreciation that I note Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s retirement from public life today on the occasion of his 79th birthday. This event invites us to celebrate his many accomplishments from which we have all benefited. For decades he has been a moral titan—a voice of principle, an unrelenting champion of justice, and a dedicated peacemaker. He played a pivotal role in his country’s struggle against apartheid and extraordinary example of pursuing a path to forgiveness and reconciliation in the new South Africa. He has also been an outspoken voice for freedom and justice in countries across the globe; a staunch defender of the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons; and an advocate for treatment and prevention programs to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS. We will miss his insight and his activism, but will continue to learn from his example. We wish the Archbishop and his family happiness in the years ahead.

Link

Comments (3)

Trust

I Trust God
I Trust ++Desmond Tutu

Please don´t go too far away from us beloved Bishop Tutu we live better with your spiritually healthy example and ¨common sense¨ wisdom and giant smile.

Posted by Leonardoricardosanto.blogspot.com | October 7, 2010 3:45 PM

Beautiful post, John. Thanks.

June Butler

Posted by GrandmèreMimi | October 8, 2010 10:17 AM

What The President said. Ditto.

Posted by Rod Gillis | October 8, 2010 6:19 PM

Add your comments

(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)

Reminder: At Episcopal Café, we hope to establish an ethic of transparency by requiring all contributors and commentators to make submissions under their real names. For more details see our Feedback Policy.

Name:

Email Address:

URL:

Remember personal info?

Comments: (you may use HTML tags for style)

CATEGORIES

Organizations