Pope Francis has expressed his sadness upon hearing the news of the death of South African Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu, winner of the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize, who died on December 26, 2021 at the age of 90.
The Pope assures the family and friends of the Anglican archbishop of his condolences in a telegram published the same day by the Press Office of the Holy See, and signed by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin,
The head of the Catholic Church paid tribute to "his service to the Gospel through the promotion of racial equality and reconciliation in his native South Africa," reads the message addressed to the apostolic nuncio in South Africa.
Wishing all the bereaved "divine blessings of peace and consolation in the Lord Jesus," the bishop of Rome entrusts the soul of the deceased "to the loving mercy of Almighty God."
Desmond Tutu, human rights defender, anti-apartheid figure and author of the "ubuntu" theology of reconciliation, was one of the inspirers of the encyclical Fratelli Tutti, published on October 4, 2020. The Argentine pope cites him among the "brothers who are not Catholic" who helped him to nourish his reflection on universal brotherhood.
