The body of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu will lie in state at the St George’s Cathedral in the Mother City from seven o’clock on Friday morning until seven in the evening. The Anglican Church in Cape Town has outlined plans including memorial services at various Anglican parishes across the country in honour of the late Archbishop.
Archbishop of Cape Town, Thabo Makgoba has announced memorial services at several Anglican diocese throughout the country leading to the burial of the Arch.
Services have been confirmed in Kimberly, Pretoria, Johannesburg, the Highveld, Gqeberha and at the Desmond and Leah Tutu Foundation between Wednesday and Thursday.
Former Anglican Bishop of Natal and long-time friend of the late Desmond Tutu, Michael Nuttall, will deliver the sermon at Tutu’s funeral on Saturday.
The Dean of St. George’s Cathedral, Michael Weeder, says the late Arch handpicked Bishop Nuttall before his death.
“The designated preacher, again in consultation with Arch Desmond, will be Bishop Michael Nuttall, the retired bishop of Natal. During the time when Archbishop Desmond Tutu was an active episcopal, Bishop Michael Nuttall was the dean of the Anglican Church. They had a very close bond. Particularly in the 1980’s, to have a black man and a white man in a collaborative loving intension in association was in itself a very remarkable testimony,” says Dean Michael Weeder.
Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu media briefing on his funeral arrangements and memorials:
Weeder announced that his ashes will be interned at the Cathedral.
“Archbishop Emeritus will lie in state here in the Cathedral and it is our hope that we will be able to keep the Cathedral open from 7 o’clock in the morning till 7pm in the evening and we are very fortunate to have the support and co-operation of the city in that regard. People who would want to come and sit here in the cathedral, and be aware of the memory and spirit of the arch, this will be a place,” Weeder added.
The Archbishop of Cape Town, Thabo Makgoba is one of few family and friends who were called to his bedside during his last moments on Christmas Day.
Makgoba says he’s cautious not to betray his pastoral confidence.
“An amazing human being, always full of gratitude; thanksgiving was always at the core of everything that he did. As an Anglican priest, we have what we call mass Eucharist and at the centre of the Eucharist, at the centre of thanksgiving is an attitude of gratitude. So, he was full of gratitude, saying ‘thank you, ke a leboga!” says Archbishop Makgoba.
Church bells will ring at 12 o’clock for 10 minutes everyday in the days leading up to his funeral on Saturday.
Members of the public are requested not to be bused to Cape Town as the service has to observe Covid protocols of limited numbers, but rather attend memorial services arranged at their localities.
R.I.P Desmond Tutu | Life and times of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu
