The Greek Foreign Ministry issued a brief statement on the death of South Africa’s Archbishop and historic personality in fight against the apartheid, Desmond Tutu.
“Deeply saddened by the passing of South Africa’s Archibishop Desmond Tutu, a prominent civic & human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate for his role in the fight against apartheid. Our sincere condolences to his family & the people of South Africa” the Greek Foreign Ministry on Sunday on Twitter.
Deeply saddened by the passing of #SouthAfrica's Archibishop Desmond Tutu, a prominent civic & human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate for his role in the fight against apartheid. Our sincere condolences to his family & the people of South Africa pic.twitter.com/C7SiXCX6uk
— Υπουργείο Εξωτερικών (@GreeceMFA) December 26, 2021
The anti-apartheid hero Desmond Tutu passed away at the age on 90 on Sunday.
Desmond Mpilo Tutu OMSG CH was a South African Anglican bishop and theologian, known for his work as an anti-apartheid and human rights activist.
In the 1970’s and -80’s he emerged as one of the most prominent opponents of South Africa’s apartheid system of racial segregation and white minority rule.
After President F. W. de Klerk released the anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela from prison in 1990 and the pair led negotiations to end apartheid and introduce multi-racial democracy, Tutu assisted as a mediator between rival black factions. After the 1994 general election resulted in a coalition government headed by Mandela, the latter selected Tutu to chair the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate past human rights abuses committed by both pro and anti-apartheid groups. Following apartheid’s fall, Tutu campaigned for gay rights and spoke out on a wide range of subjects, among them the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, his opposition to the Iraq War, and his criticism of South African presidents Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma. In 2010, he retired from public life.
As Tutu rose to prominence in the 1970s, white conservatives who supported apartheid despised him, while many white liberals regarded him as too radical; many black radicals accused him of being too moderate and focused on cultivating white goodwill, while Marxist–Leninists criticised his anti-communist stance. He was widely popular among South Africa’s black majority, and was internationally praised for his anti-apartheid activism, receiving a range of awards, including the Nobel Peace Prize. He also compiled several books of his speeches and sermons.
