‘Moral compass’: Requiem for South Africa’s Archbishop Tutu

By ANDREW MELDRUM
Associated Press

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Anglican Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu has been remembered at his funeral for his Nobel Peace Prize-earning role in ending South Africa’s apartheid regime of racial oppression and for championing the rights of LGBTQ people. Tutu died last Sunday at age 90. His plain pine coffin, the cheapest available at his request to avoid any ostentatious displays, was the center of Saturday’s service. “Archbishop Desmond Tutu has been our moral compass and national conscience,” South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who delivered the funeral eulogy, said. Ramaphosa handed a national flag to Tutu’s widow, Leah. The cathedral can hold 1,200 worshippers, but only 100 mourners were allowed to attend the funeral because of COVID-19 restrictions.