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35 |
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'We are family,' Tutu says
Buoyant archbishop hails equality, gives high-fives to children
By Diane Urbani
Deseret News staff writer
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If the few hundred Utahns gathered in downtown Salt Lake City had any trouble remembering the Olympic ideal, a visitor reminded them of it Sunday morning.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a grandfatherly figure in sun-gold vestments, walked quietly up the aisle of the Cathedral Church of St. Mark — and then stepped down eagerly to hug and exchange double high-fives with a flock of children, all wearing paper versions of his bishop's hat.
The adults in the congregation hung back, seeming abashed by the archbishop. After all, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1985, he was the first black Anglican dean in post-apartheid South Africa and he became an international voice for forgiveness as chairman of that nation's Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Archbishop Tutu flew to Salt Lake City last week to present the Reebok Human Rights Awards at the Capitol Theatre and to help carry the Olympic flag during opening ceremonies.
But in his brief words to the packed church, Archbishop Tutu had no air of superiority; instead he highlighted the equality of all people. Speaking of his companions who traveled with him from South Africa, the archbishop said, "We are more than 10,000 miles from home. But we are home, which is the fantastic thing . . . about God."
Then he thanked his hosts. "When apartheid was at its most vicious, you upheld us in your prayers. And today we are a free and democratic country because of that . . . like the five rings of the Olympic flag, the five rings that are interlocked, we are bound together. We are family. Isn't that fantastic?"
A wave of applause came up from the congregation, but Archbishop Tutu didn't bask in it. Instead, he stretched his hands over the paper-hatted heads of the children clustered near the altar, hailing them as "these wonderful bishops."
The archbishop presided over a regular 10:30 a.m. service, but of course there was nothing ordinary about the day. Congregants sat closer to one another due to the larger than usual crowd; Catholics and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints shared pews with the Episcopalians who come to St. Mark's every Sunday. In silk suits, polar fleece, polished boots or faded sneakers, the assembly seemed able to embody the Rt. Rev. Carolyn Tanner Irish's message about being "open at the edges" to people of all backgrounds.
If our hearts aren't open, Bishop Irish said, "We would constantly be guarding the boundaries we ourselves have imposed." We'd cut ourselves off from opportunities to "discover the truth and value of other faiths."
Bishop Irish sought to remind her listeners that all have a role to play in easing their neighbors' suffering. She quoted Martin Luther King Jr., "who said something like, 'I can never be healthy as long as the world suffers malnutrition and illness. I can never be wealthy,' " as long as millions suffer in poverty.
Lest the atmosphere become too solemn, a mischievous Archbishop Tutu stepped forward with an anecdote about an English minister he met recently. It seems this man was very tall, had an imposing, high forehead and big, bushy eyebrows. As he began a prayer service for a women's group, "We were all scared of him, because he really was huge," Archbishop Tutu recalled. Then the minister said, "Ladies, under this cassock, we are all the same."
E-MAIL: durbani@desnews.com
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February 11, 2002
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