The South Africans gathered in front of the remains of Bishop Desmond Tutu

Published: 30/12/2021 – 12:35

After the tribute of the authorities, the place for the unnamed. South Africans began paying tribute to their remains on Thursday, December 30 MGR Desmond Tutu, Arrived at St. George’s Cathedral in Cape Town, from where he attacked the long-running racist regime, for a fiery church planned for two days.

The light pine coffin – which he had heard was “as cheap as possible” – was simply adorned with white carnation bouquets and carried by six priests on chassis by the choir, AFP reporters reported.

The current Archbishop of Cape Town, Thabo McCabe, prayed as others poured incense around the coffin of the relentless human rights defender. The country affectionately calls him “Uncle Leah” and many members of his family followed him to church, including his widow, whom he married in 1955.

“He’s a rock star like Elvis”

Tutu died peacefully at the age of 90 Sunday. This is the system of ordinary citizens, after the planetary tribute paid by the head of this world, his friend the Dalai Lama to many heads of state from Pope Francis.

People of all ages and colors line up, every few seconds before the rest. Many pass by themselves, while others wear purple hijab like this woman, bowing their heads respectfully and placing their hands in front of their mouths to send a kiss.

“We came to pay tribute,” John Coulson told AFP, adding that he, along with his sister, had come too early to join the choir first. “I met him when I was 15 and I’m 70 now,” he says, referring to him as a rock star, “like Elvis”.

Inspired by his openness and humor, she bet he had already stirred up heaven. “St. Peter is going to tell him: ‘Oh be quiet there!’, ‘She teases.

Justling

The cathedral is open until 5 p.m. The fiery church, which was originally scheduled for Thursday only, has been extended until Friday, “in fear of a fight,” Reverend Gilmore told AFP in front of Fry Cathedral. Because many people want to greet the icon before his funeral on Saturday.

After a private cremation, he will be buried in Bishop Tutu’s Cathedral, where he served as archbishop for ten years until 1996.

Since Sunday, hundreds have gathered there to deliver news and bouquets. Every day at noon, for ten minutes, his bells ring as passers-by think of him.

Flags are flown at half-mast across the country, and the table-top mountain, which overlooks the port city, glows purple at night in homage to the “Arch.”

Many rituals, mainly religion, stopped for the week and continued until the funeral.

Author of the formula “Rainbow Nation”

On that day, with no lavish ceremony or luxury spending, the dean issued stern instructions. Other than the bouquet provided by the family, there were no other flowers. Assistance should be limited to one hundred people, Govt-19 required.

The religious ceremony will also be an official ceremony. But the military again had to limit their intervention to give the South African flag to his widow, at the will of the Archbishop.

The winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, retired from public life for several months, weakened by old age and cancer. After the election of his friend Nelson Mandela in 1994, he became the first post-apartheid president to invent the formula “Rainbow Nation”.

Desmond Tutu was the head of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), which, thanks to the conflict between executioners and victims, believed it would allow it to change the side of racial hatred.

With AFP