wfn.org | Message to Archbishop Tutu

[smm@wcc-coe.org]

                   WORLD COUNCIL OF CHURCHES

        Office of Communication - Press and Information

              150 Route de Ferney, P.O. Box 2100
                  1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland

 Telephone: (022) 791 61 52/51        Telefax: (022) 798 13 46
                   E-mail:  JWN@WCC-COE.ORG

PRESS RELEASE			FOR IMMEDIATE USE		21 June 1996

            WCC GENERAL SECRETARY SENDS MESSAGE TO
              ARCHBISHOP TUTU UPON HIS RETIREMENT
                               

Dr Konrad Raiser, General Secretary of the World Council of
Churches (WCC), has paid tribute to Archbishop Desmond Tutu prior
to his retirement as Archbishop of Cape Town and Metropolitan of
the Church of the Province of Southern Africa on 30 June.

On behalf of Dr Raiser, the text of the message will be presented
to Archbishop Tutu by Rev. Dr Alan Falconer, Director of Faith
and Order for the WCC, when he represents the WCC General
Secretary at a service of thanksgiving and celebration for the
ministry of the Archbishop on Sunday 23 June in St George's
Cathedral, Cape Town.

The full text of Dr Raiser's message is:

Who could forget the compelling vitality, humour and challenge of
Desmond Tutu as he addressed the Central Committee in
Johannesburg in 1994?  Following years of exclusion, the WCC had
finally returned with joy and thanksgiving to South African soil. 
We shared our exhilaration with South African church leaders, but
it was Desmond Tutu who truly expressed this jubilation and added
the expectations of his people for the future.

The Archbishop's speech on that occasion epitomises the role he
so often played within the WCC.  He has been a treasured
colleague from the time he was a WCC staff member right through
to the days of his frequent visits to the Ecumenical Centre in
Geneva and his participation in WCC-sponsored consultations. 
Ever a standard bearer for the WCC, he never missed a chance to
emphasise the ecumenical context and the collaboration made
possible by this fellowship.

On behalf of the WCC, its Central Committee, commissions and
staff, I would like to salute the incredible faith and hope which
emanates from this man who has spurred on the veterans, stirred
the complacent and inspired the young.  He challenged and goaded
and, so often, laughed and laughed until we cried. 

We must also acknowledge the extraordinary commitment of Desmond
Tutu.  He has been tireless in travelling abroad to spread the
call for solidarity, both during and after the apartheid
struggle. No one should underestimate the physical and mental
burden that was his.

We would also like to pay tribute to the Tutu family whose
constant support helped to keep him strong and well for his
onerous tasks.  With gratitude we acknowledge the central role of
Leah, whose loving care and understanding sustained the
Archbishop and enabled him to carry on. 

And we thank God for the gift, to the ecumenical movement and the
WCC in particular, of Desmond Tutu.  In quiet times he has been a
spiritual guide and pastor, never failing with words of faith to
overcome fear and uncertainty. In stormy times we knew he was
also drawing on his inner resources of spirituality and close
experience with God.

Brother Desmond, please be assured of our unfailing prayers and
support for you in the present challenge of your ministry, the
Truth and Reconciliation Commission.  It is a heavy burden you
have assumed.  You have given so much to the WCC; we in turn now
offer you our solidarity.

Contact: John Newbury  WCC Press & Information Officer
                       (+41.22) 791.61.52 (Office); 369.37.26
(Home)

                                                                      

The World Council of Churches is a fellowship of churches, now
330, in more than 100 countries in all continents from virtually
all Christian traditions.  The Roman Catholic Church is not a
member church but works cooperatively with the WCC.  The highest
governing body is the Assembly, which meets approximately every
seven years.  The WCC was formally inaugurated in 1948 in
Amsterdam, Netherlands.  Its staff is headed by general secretary
Konrad Raiser from the Evangelical Church in Germany.