Archbishop Desmond Tutu was “a beacon of hope during the bleak days of apartheid,” according to Bishop Victor Phalana of Klerksdorp and the liaison Bishop for justice and peace at the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference.
The Anglican prelate died on Sunday at the age of 90. A representative of the Archbishop Desmond Tutu IP Trust said he died “peacefully” at a Cape Town nursing home.
“He spoke truth to power and criticized both the apartheid government and the ANC-led government when they started to tolerate corruption and when they took time to deal with the problem of poverty in our country,” Phalana told Crux.

U.S. Bishops to consecrate the country to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) will gather for the 2026 Spring Plenary Assembly in Orlando, Florida, June 10-12. In celebration of the


