(Monday, December 27, 2021) – Bells rang across Cape Town South Africa today to begin a week of mourning for Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu.  The anti-apartheid leader and global activist died Sunday at the age of 90.

Tutu’s coffin will be displayed Friday at the St. George’s Anglican Cathedral in Cape Town.  Tutu worked at the cathedral to unite South Africans of all races against apartheid.  The bells will toll daily at noon for five days to mark Tutu’s life and legacy.

“We ask all who hear the bells to pause their busy schedules for a moment in tribute to Tutu,” said Thabo Makgoba the current archbishop of Cape Town.

A Mass will be held Saturday and Tutu’s remains will be cremated and his ashes will be placed in the cathedral’s mausoleum.  Additionally, an ecumenical and interfaith service will be held for Tutu Thursday in Pretoria, which is the capital of South Africa.