On the day when the Christian Church celebrates the great witness of Stephen, the first martyr, we give thanks to God for the witness of Archbishop Desmond Tutu.\u00a0 As we grieve his loss, we celebrate his life.\u00a0 Although he passed to be with the Lord, he still speaks and his voice and witness for justice and liberation are still heard.\u00a0 Bishop Tutu spent his life actively struggling against apartheid and working for the liberation of his South African people.\u00a0 Equally, however, he was committed to the liberation of the Palestinian people from the oppression and apartheid of the Israeli government in Israel and Palestine. \u00a0\u00a0For many years, Bishop Tutu was the international patron of Sabeel and faithfully advocated for the achievement of justice, truth, inclusivity, equality, and liberation for all our Palestinian people.\u00a0 We give thanks to God for his life and witness, and express our condolences to his family and to all our brothers and sisters in South Africa and to the church of South Africa in particular.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Rev. Dr. Naim Ateek, Sabeel Board and General Assembly, and Sabeel Staff<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"