The late Archbishop Desmond Tutu lies in state in St. George’s Cathedral in the South African city of Cape Town. South Africans can say goodbye to Tutu until he is cremated over the weekend.
The Nobel laureate and well-known opponent of apartheid died on Sunday at the age of 90.
Tutu is in a simple wooden box with a small bouquet of carnations on top. The current Archbishop of South Africa, Thabo Makgoba, offered a prayer in front of the coffin upon arrival. After this, six priests carried the coffin into the cathedral.
Actually, people would have one day to say goodbye to Tutu. The authorities decided to extend that deadline, fearing a stampede on the cathedral. Tutu will be cremated on Saturday. His ashes are interred in St. George. The cathedral has been ringing the bells every day for 10 minutes since Monday in honour of the late Archbishop.
Tutu died “peacefully” in a Cape Town nursing home on Sunday. However, the world around the world reacted with sadness to his death.
