Tutu: Authorized9780062087997 by Allister Sparks & Allister Sparks

Author:Allister Sparks & Allister Sparks [Sparks, Allister]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780062087997
Publisher: Harper Collins, Inc.

RICHARD GOLDSTONE

He invited us, on a number of occasions, to Bishopscourt. I remember a very lovely evening at a party for the archbishop of Canterbury. I remember very clearly saying to the archbishop—he and I were alone—I said, “You know, one of the great things about Archbishop Tutu is the way he changed direction with the release of Nelson Mandela. Until that time he had a very high political profile. Archbishop Tutu, like me and probably like most people, quite enjoys publicity. But from the minute Madiba [Nelson Mandela] was released from prison he set aside his political activity. That took tremendous character and discipline.” As I said it, Desmond came out and the archbishop repeated to him what I had said. It’s true; I think it took tremendous self-discipline to withdraw at the time that he was an international hero. He withdrew from the political scene in South Africa during the transition and I have always greatly admired him for that.

He spoke out on moral issues but it was as archbishop and it wasn’t as a political leader. One can’t divorce the politics from these huge, huge issues but there is a moral dimension to them. I admired his courage but also his astuteness in speaking out on those issues that really had a clearly moral content. I believe that as a religious leader he had not only a right but the duty to speak out on those issues. His huge national and international moral stature had made it so important.

I was impressed by his modesty, his openness, and his tremendous friendship. I never dreamt I would end up calling him by his first name. Very soon after we were together at cricket and I was calling him “Father Desmond,” he said, “No, Desmond.” It’s been Desmond ever since.

Our correspondence more recently has been in two areas: the one was through Human Rights Watch, over human rights in Chad. The other, more important contact has been in the aftermath of the report on the Gaza war “Operation Cast Lead.” Of course the archbishop had led the previous fact-finding mission into Lebanon, so he was very much involved in the whole area. But when the attacks started—they were vicious personal attacks on me—I received a wonderful e-mail from him telling me that I will be vindicated.

Justice Richard Goldstone is a former judge who served in South Africa’s highest courts including the Constitutional Court of South Africa. In the early nineties he chaired South Africa’s Commission of Inquiry Regarding Public Violence and Intimidation, which became known as the Goldstone Commission. He was the first chief prosecutor of the United Nations International Criminal Tribunals for war crimes in the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the International Human Rights Award of the American Bar.

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