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Desmond Tutu lies in state at South African cathedral

December 30, 2021

Mourners are paying their respects to late Archbishop Desmond Tutu, whose body is now lying in state at St. George's Cathedral in Cape Town. The iconic anti-apartheid leader was a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.

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A mourner brings flowers to St. George's Cathedral, where a Wall of Remembrance for South African anti-apartheid icon Archbishop Desmond Tutu was set up after the news of his death, in Cape Town
The late Archbishop Desmond Tutu will lie in state for two days so South Africans can pay their last respects to an icon of the struggle against apartheidImage: RODGER BOSCH/AFP

The late Archbishop Desmond Tutu's body was brought to St. George's Cathedral in Cape Town Thursday where it will lie in state throughout Thursday and Friday so the public may pay their respects between 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. local time (07:00 - 15:00 UTC).

Hundreds of mourners have descended on the cathedral since Sunday to leave flowers and sign a book of condolences.

Reverend Gilmore Fry told AFP outside the church that visitation had been extended for a second day to avoid a stampede.

Joan Coulson, 70, told AFP as she waited in line with her sister to pay their last respects that Tutu was a "rock star."

"I would compare him with Elvis," Coulson said.

Priests burnt incense above the coffin as it lay in the hearse while emotional family members looked on. Thabo Makgoba, Tutu's successor, then prayed over the late archbishop's body.

Six Anglican priests lifted Tutu's coffin with a small bouquet of white carnations atop and carried it into the centrally located cathedral. Leah, Tutu's widow, followed close behind.

What are the plans for Desmond Tutu's funeral and burial?

Tutu requested a simple funeral with few ostentations. His foundation said Tutu "asked that the coffin be the cheapest available."

On Saturday, President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to deliver a eulogy for Tutu at a requiem mass funeral service.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, only 100 people will be permitted to attend the funeral.

The South African flag will be presented to Leah, who he married in 1955.

He is set to be cremated and his ashes will be buried Saturday, New Year's Day, as well.

Tutu's ashes will be interred inside the brown stone walls behind the pulpit of St. George's, his former parish. It was there that he preached against racial injustice so often over the years.

Since Monday, the bells have rung at St. George's for 10 minutes at midday every day in Tutu's honor and memory. There are also memorial services planned Thursday in Johannesburg and Pretoria.

South Africans on Desmond Tutu's death

Who was Desmond Tutu?

The former chairman of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Tutu is credited with helping to liberate South Africa from the racial segregation of the apartheid system along with a generation of his peers that includes former President Nelson Mandela.

He was a political and spiritual head of a movement against apartheid while Mandela was imprisoned, garnering a Nobel Peace Prize along the way in 1984 for his efforts in the struggle for racial justice and equity.

He died peacefully at the age of 90 on Sunday.

ar/rt (AFP, Reuters)