The body of Archbishop Desmond Tutu will lie in Cape Town for two days. The funeral will take place on New Year's Day. Tutu, a revered anti-apartheid fighter is also known for his advocacy of LGBTQ rights. Tutu died on December 26 at age 90.
The St. George's Anglican Cathedral, where the Archbishop preached, will ring bells every day for 10 minutes in his honour till his funeral. 'We ask all who hear the bells to pause their busy schedules for a moment in tribute to Archbishop Tutu,' the current Archbishop of Cape Town, Thabo Makgoba told the Daily Mail. In addition to a requiem mass held on Saturday, at Cape Town, an ecumenical service will be held on Wednesday in South Africa's capital, Pretoria.
Since Tutu's death, followers lay flowers at the cathedral, at his home in the Milnerton area and his former home in Soweto in Cape Town.
Queen Elizabeth sent a condolence message. She said the entire royal family are 'deeply saddened by the death of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who she said 'tirelessly championed human rights in South Africa and across the world'.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, in a statement, said Archbishop Desmond Tutu would be 'remembered for his optimism, his moral clarity, and his joyful spirit'.
A statement by President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden read: "On this morning after Christmas, we are heartbroken to learn of the passing of a true servant of God and the people, Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa. We were blessed to spend time with him on several occasions over the past many years. His courage and moral clarity helped inspire our commitment to change American policy toward the repressive Apartheid regime in South Africa.”
UK PM Boris Johnson said, “He was a critical figure in the fight against apartheid and the struggle to create a new South Africa - and will be remembered for his spiritual leadership and irrepressible good humour.”
Even within his denomination, the Anglican Communion, there has been no continent-wide embrace of LGBTQ rights. Leaders of Ghana's Anglican Church, for example, have joined other religious leaders there in endorsing a bill that would impose prison sentences on people who identify as LGBTQ or support that community. Most African religious leaders rejected Tutu's LGBTQ positions, and those who agreed with him often were cautious, said Kenya-based researcher Yvonne Wamari of Outright Action International, a global LGBTQ-rights organization.
Many LGBTQ Africans are subject to stigma and abuse, facing unemployment, homelessness and estrangement from their families. Violence against LGBTQ people remains common. In Cape Town, where Tutu was the Anglican archbishop, members of the LGBTQ community reacted to his death with tributes.
