South Africa to host state funeral for Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Written byTimes Magazine
A memorial service for South African apartheid fighter Archbishop Desmond Tutu at the Anglican Cathedral in Cape Town. President Cyril Ramaphosa called Tutu the "spiritual father of our new nation" in his praise.
Tutu insisted that there should be no "huge expense" associated with the funeral. Instead, he wanted the "cheapest coffin available."
Family, friends, clergy, and politicians gathered at St. George for the Sabbath service, which was restricted due to coronavirus restrictions. Tutu's widow, Nomalizo Leah, sits in a wheelchair outside the congregation, wearing a purple scarf the color of her late husband's spiritual attire.
In the main praise of the official state funeral on Saturday, Ramaphosa described the archbishop as "a crusader who fought for freedom, justice, equality, and peace.
"If we are to understand the global icon as a man of high morals, with outstanding qualities and service to humanity, there is no doubt that he is referring to the man we will bring to rest today," he said.
Saturday funerals are given a particular place, usually for the president and many important people.
Tutu has requested that the only flower in the cathedral be a "carnation bouquet from his family," according to Archbishop Tutu IP Trust and the Desmond and Leah Tutu Heritage Foundation.
It was previously announced that Tutu would be diagramed, a process using water that has been described as an ecological alternative to burial.
Although only 100 guests attended the funeral of Archbishop Desmond Tutu at St. George, many came to honor him by watching the program from a public place. Most of them are emotional.
One man described his presence at Tutu's funeral as a full-circle moment as he witnessed Nelson Mandela's release from prison and watched Tutu and Mandela hold hands with their hands raised as South Africa became a democracy.
This is the end of an era.
South Africa's last known freedom fighter left a difficult task for the country's leadership: to rid the country of corruption and racial divisions and lead the way in the spirit of the moral compass that led Tutu's leadership.
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