The Conscience of the World

Desmond Tutu, the Anglican archbishop from South Africa who died at 90 this past week, was probably the most important civil rights and social justice leader of the twentieth century after Martin Luther King, Jr.  His faith in Christian virtues and principles in the struggle to end apartheid in his homeland led to the peaceful transition of power from the white minority to the presidency of Nelson Mandela and the end of racial separation in  South Africa in 1994.  More than Mandela, who was a politician, Archbishop Tutu, as a cleric, symbolized morality in his fight against injustice and love in his fight for equality.  As the head of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission that examined and investigated the crimes of apartheid, he sought brotherhood as a way of healing the wounds of apartheid and not revenge.

Archbishop Tutu had no qualms in speaking out against injustice everywhere, even if that meant speaking truth to power.  The U.S. government twice received his wrath, first for the Reagan administration's support of the white South African government ("constructive engagement," Reagan called it, even though his policy was neither) and then for the Iraq War.  He also called out Israel for its treatment of the Palestinians.  In the tradition of Dr. King,  Archbishop Tutu called out injustice everywhere as a threat to justice everywhere, and we can only hope we find more people who do the same.  But as a person, Archbishop Tutu can never be replaced. RIP.