Then when the Soweto Gospel Choir appeared one by one on the stage, Archbishop Desmond Tutu smiled,
giving Gene Young a thumbs up sign; then proceeded with the service.
I have always been fascinated with him, having seen his pictures in the news magazines, TV, and in books . I
know he is a world political powerhouse which was shown during the slide show presented a few minutes prior to his guest appearance.
During the question and answer session moderated by Robert Taylor, The Arch as he is fondly called by people close to him, gave some emotional answers regarding apartheid, his perturbing relationship with his father, and the attachment to his mother.
When it comes to the issue of womens
rights, his answer was, “ You should know where I stand!” He
then went on to say that “women should have a right to their own
bodies,” which elicited a rousing and standing ovation from the
whole theatre .
At times, Archbishop Tutu was jovial, almost child-like in mannerism, and he has a very infectious laugh.
His chuckle is one of a kind, and if he didn't have piercing and penetrating eyes, he would have been a perfect comedian.
At one point during the service, after we all sang Amen, he asked, “ why are you all shy?” So he asked
all of us to sing once again and then he danced, swayed, and sang with us. After much swaying and singing in front of the altar, he then joked, “Now, you can all go to heaven!”
Our table mate Diane lamented that she
was cut off from the line of people wanting a photo -ops with the
Archbishop . She was the last person in line, and there was no one else behind her, but the organizer said, “That's it, it is finished!”
Archbishop Tutu saw and heard it. What he did next touched Diane's heart. From the crowd, the Arch,
held her hand and told her to sit beside him. He then asked a crew member to take Diane's camera, and to take their photos together.
The last three days that he was on board the ship, he touched many of our hearts not just because of his
Eucharist service but rather as a real human being worthy of all respect, praise and love.
P. S. To date We have visited 27 ports
of call, 18 clock changes, 3 oceans (Atlantic, Pacific, Indian) and
nearly 30,000 nautical miles (excluding our segment from San
Francisco to Ft . Lauderdale).
was cut off from the line of people wanting a photo -ops with the
Archbishop . She was the last person in line, and there was no one else behind her, but the organizer said, “That's it, it is finished!”
Archbishop Tutu saw and heard it. What he did next touched Diane's heart. From the crowd, the Arch,
held her hand and told her to sit beside him. He then asked a crew member to take Diane's camera, and to take their photos together.
The last three days that he was on board the ship, he touched many of our hearts not just because of his
Eucharist service but rather as a real human being worthy of all respect, praise and love.
P. S. To date We have visited 27 ports
of call, 18 clock changes, 3 oceans (Atlantic, Pacific, Indian) and
nearly 30,000 nautical miles (excluding our segment from San
Francisco to Ft . Lauderdale).
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