Desmond Tutu made a comment July 26, 2013 stating that he would never worship a “Homophobic” God. This was extremely controversial not only because he comes from a very religious back ground but because many of his peers don’t agree. “I would refuse to go to a homophobic heaven. No, I would say sorry – I mean, I would much rather go to the other place.” He talks to Daily Mail and said that ending the UN’s pro-homosexual actions are just as important it was to ending apartheid. There are still 38 Counties in Africa that consider homosexuality a crime punishable up to death. Many leaders in other countries are furious, saying this is not how God intended and will never decriminalize homosexuality. South Africa legalized gay marriage, but South Anglican clergy are not allowed to wed people of the same sex. (The New American)
Desmond Tutu advocates for the right to opt for an assisted death. He stated this on his 85th birthday many people were shocked by this considering his back ground. Tutu said, “As a Christian, I believe in the sanctity of life, and that death is a part of life, I hope that when the time comes I am treated with compassion and allowed to pass on to the next phase of life’s journey in the manner of my choice.” Assisted death is still illegal in South Africa and has continued to get denied. The reason he advocates for this because is because he has lived with prostate cancer for a very long time and has to go in and out of the hospital all the time. (All Things Considered)
Tutu was invited to come speak at Gonzaga University in Spokane. There was an online petition to remove him from the commencement ceremonies because of “fear and intimidation”. They did not like that he promoted contraception and same-sex marriage. McColloh the president of the school responded that the invitation to Tutu will not change and that there is more positive feedback to him coming than negative. McCholloh says “People see our invitation as honoring Tutu and the social justice activism of our institution.” He also talked about having guest that have different faiths is important. The petition to not have him speak was signed by 700 people but was quickly passed by a petition that was signed by 10,800 people that wanted him to speak. (National Catholic Reporter)
Desmond Tutu’s biggest controversy was when he started to speak up about how horrid and injustice the apartheid government was. South Africa was predominately ran by whites so him speaking up about it could get him in a lot of trouble. But his speaking up did not go unrecognized he won a Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts. (Weekend all Things Considered) The Truth and Reconciliation Commission is also known to have hard feelings Tutu preaches often about forgiveness. For some people letting the perpetrators be set free after confessing what they have done and ask for forgiveness wasn’t what they had in mind. It took a lot of persuasion to be able to get TRC approved through all parties that were involved. (Encyclopedia Britannica) He even made a comment on how he believes that the United States should do something similar to the TRC because there is pain living in African Americans and Native American Hearts. (“Desmond Tutu”)
Tutu, Desmond. “Truth and Reconciliation Commission, South Africa.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 4 Feb. 2019, http://www.britannica.com/topic/Truth-and-Reconciliation-Commission-South-Africa.
“Tutu Commencement Invitation Sparks Controversy at Gonzaga.” National Catholic Reporter, 18 Apr. 2012, www.ncronline.org/news/justice/tutu-commencement-invitation-sparks-controversy-gonzaga.
Bohan, Dave. “South Africa’s Desmond Tutu Says He Wouldn’t Worship ‘Homophobic’ God.” The New American, 2013, http://www.thenewamerican.com/culture/faith-and-morals/item/16117-south-africa-s-desmond-tutu-says-he-wouldn-t-worship-homophobic-god.
Tutu, Desmond. “Why We Forgive, by Desmond Tutu.” Reader’s Digest, Reader’s Digest, 16 Apr. 2016, http://www.rd.com/true-stories/inspiring/desmond-tutu-forgive/.
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