[Magdalen] ++ Desmond Tutu

[FCBasle at aol.com]

Sally 
 
Do you know what I really respect of ++Desmond  Tutu was when he stepped 
down as ++ of Cape Town to become Chairman of the Truth  and Reconciliation 
Commission. His theology is far to liberal for me, but what  he has done as a 
Christian for the nation of South Africa puts him on the level  of Nelson 
Mandela as a statesman - in my opinion. 
 
Funny you mention him because I have just  written about him in one of the 
two East Marshland Benefice parish mags for May  2015.
 
May I just copy you in on a part of what I wrote  in our parish mag today
 
Blessings
Martin
 
 
<One of the most remarkable events in recent years was the setting up  of 
the Truth and Reconciliation Council in South Africa after the historic poll 
on April 27, 1994, which brought Nelson Mandela  to power. 
It was almost universally predicted that there  would be serious 
blood-letting when the black-led government took control. A  fearful orgy of revenge 
and retribution against the whites was  predicted. 
After all, hadn’t that sort of thing happened  in the Nuremburg Trials in 
1946 at the end of the Second World War when the top  Nazi’s were tried and 
executed? Surely this would be a time for justice and  retribution. 
Well, that prediction was not fulfilled. But  instead of revenge and 
retribution, the new nation of South Africa chose to  tread the difficult path of 
confession, forgiveness, and  reconciliation. 
The new South African Government under Nelson  Mandela decided to set up of 
the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, with the  remit that they would 
give an amnesty to the perpetrators of some of the most  gruesome atrocities 
in exchange for a full disclosure of the facts of the  offence.  
I was not a great fan of the Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu until he took 
up the position of  Chairman of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 
South Africa and  relinquished his position as Archbishop of Cape Town.  
Why did he do that?  
Let me let the Archbishop speak for himself. Archbishop  Desmond Tutu 
wrote: 
“To forgive is not just to be altruistic. It is the best form of  
self-interest. It is also a process that does not exclude hatred and anger.  These 
emotions are all part of being human. You should never hate yourself for  
hating others who do terrible things: the depth of your love is shown by the  
extent of your anger. 
However, when I talk of forgiveness I mean the belief that you can come  
out the other side a better person. A better person than the one being 
consumed  by anger and hatred. Remaining in that state locks you in a state of 
victimhood,  making you almost dependent on the perpetrator.   
If you can find it in yourself to forgive then you are no longer chained  
to the perpetrator. You can move on, and you can even help the perpetrator to 
 become a better person too. 
But the process of forgiveness also requires acknowledgement on the part  
of the perpetrator that they have committed an offence.“ >
 

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In a message dated 09/04/2015 19:41:27 GMT Daylight Time,  
sally.davies at gmail.com writes:

It  sounds a lot like the horror that ran through "white" parishes in  South
Africa, back in the day when a certain Bishop Desmond Tutu of  Johannesburg
was appointed Archbishop of Cape Town.

Stories did the  round about his family making a fire in the middle of the
floor at  Bishopscourt, a la traditional African hut.

It affected him not one  whit but I think there must have been strain on the
younger family  members.

When our very popular priest Rob was transferred to a school  chaplain job
at the end of 2012, a few people tried to start the story that  this was
some kind of anti-St John's conspiracy by the Bishop. It didn't go  far
because there were too many level headed people, because Rob himself  nailed
it by making it clear that he knew this was God's calling for him,  and by
our wonderful assistant priest Angela (now about to retire herself)  who
held things together with tremendous grace during the  inter-regnum.

Sally D