South Africa
Tributes continue to pour in from around the world for Tutu─── 06:39 Mon, 27 Dec 2021
South Africa began a week of mourning events for anti-apartheid icon Archbishop Desmond Tutu - described as the country's moral compass - on Monday as tributes poured in from across the world for the outspoken Nobel peace laureate.
Tutu, who died on Sunday aged 90, had largely faded from public life in recent years but was remembered for his easy humour and characteristic smile -- and above all his fight against injustices of all colours.
His funeral will be held on 1 January at Cape Town's St. George's Cathedral, his former parish, his foundation said in a statement.
President Cyril Ramaphosa called him a man of "extraordinary intellect, integrity and invincibility against the forces of apartheid".
Ramaphosa said Tutu's death was "another chapter of bereavement in our nation's farewell to a generation of outstanding South Africans who have bequeathed us a liberated South Africa," after the country's last apartheid-era president FW de Klerk died in November.
Former US President Barack Obama hailed Tutu as a "moral compass".
"A universal spirit, Archbishop Tutu was grounded in the struggle for liberation and justice in his own country, but also concerned with injustice everywhere," Obama said in a statement.
Mourners gathered at St. George's Cathedral, while others massed at his home, some holding flower bouquets.
South Africa's cricket team wore black armbands in Tutu's honour on day one of the first Test against India in South Africa.
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said Tutu had "inspired a generation of African leaders who embraced his non-violent approaches in the liberation struggle".
European leaders joined the chorus, with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson calling him a "critical figure" in the struggle to create a new South Africa and French President Emmanuel Macron saying Tutu had "dedicated his life to human rights and equality".
Britain's Queen Elizabeth II said Tutu's death "deeply saddened" her, while the Vatican said Pope Francis offered "heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones".
The Nelson Mandela Foundation called Tutu "an extraordinary human being. A thinker. A leader. A shepherd.
"He was larger than life, and for so many in South Africa and around the world his life has been a blessing," it said in a statement.
