South African archbishop Tutu speaks at Sewanee

SEWANEE, Tenn. — People may have their minds on gas prices, grocery bills and whether or not a pink slip awaits them at work, but Americans should not forget the desperation and troubles of others abroad, South African humanitarian leader Desmond Tutu said Friday.

“We have major problems relating to governments and freedom,” said Anglican Archbishop Tutu, speaking to a crowd of more than 800 at the University of the South. “We have a number of places where the rulers are not there because the people wanted them to be there. There is a great deal of oppression.”

Archbishop Tutu was at Sewanee to celebrate the school of seminary’s graduation. Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, the first woman to hold the Anglican church’s top office, also was present at the event.

Desmond Tutu is Anglican archbishop emeritus of Cape Town, South Africa, where he rose to fame in the 1980s as an opponent of apartheid, an era when blacks and whites in South Africa legally were segregated. In 1984, he won the Nobel Peace Prize for his humanitarian efforts.

“He is a wise guide and the undefended heart,” said Bishop Jefferts Schori. “He is a model in the best sense for what Christian life looks like in this tradition — engaging secular powers, building relationships and partnerships across borders, inviting people to tell stories and listen ... going into unsafe places to bring the gospel.”

Dictatorships across the globe are hurting human-rights efforts, Archbishop Tutu said after his speech. As examples, he named the military dictatorship in Myanmar (formerly called Burma) now responding to a cyclone that may have killed 100,000, genocide that has killed an estimated 400,000 in the Darfur region in Sudan, and the resistance of Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe, who is remaining in power though he lost a recent election.

During his speech, Archbishop Tutu called for an end to homophobia, racism and the humanitarian crises in Africa and the Middle East.

“Let us together transform this world hurting from wars, injustice and oppression,” he said. “Help me transform the hatred. Help me transform the homophobia. Help me transform poverty. Help me transform this world.”

After making several jokes followed by roars of laughter, Archbishop Tutu asked the crowd to remember that God wants help to accomplish his work on Earth.

“It is all God’s work, but God wants us to provide him with the means,” he said. “He waits for us to become God’s collaborators. It is quite astounding. God is willing to jeopardize the success of the God project for our collaboration.”

During the apartheid era in South Africa, nothing changed until a movement against the regime began abroad and in his home country, Archbishop Tutu said.

“Today that awesome desert has become a gorgeous garden of a new South Africa,” he said.

Sean Maloney, who graduated with a master’s degree in divinity Monday, said Archbishop Tutu and the presence of Bishop Jefferts Schori made the day particularly special. The Anglican Church has been divided on issues of sexual orientation and sex, but Mr. Maloney said Friday’s message supersedes division. It will set a tone for his own mission in the church, he said.

“(Archbishop) Tutu is someone who has boldly proclaimed the gospel and served it at all costs,” he said. “Though we all dare to walk in path of Christ, to dare to be Tutu-like is as great a challenge.”