Together with his daughter, the Reverend Mpho Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Chair of the Elders, and Chair of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, provide a guide on the art of forgiveness, assisting us in realising that we are all capable of transformation and healing.
Tutu gained a great deal of forgiving experience while serving as the Chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Almost everyone who was asked what they believed would happen to South Africa after apartheid said that it would be ravaged by a full-scale carnage. But rather than seeking vengeance and retaliation, this new country decided to follow the challenging course of reconciliation, forgiveness, and confession.
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About the Author
In 1984, Desmond Mpilo Tutu received the Nobel Peace Prize. He was chosen archbishop of Cape Town in 1986, which is the highest office in the South African Anglican Church. Tutu was named chair of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 1994, following the end of apartheid and Nelson Mandela’s election, to look into atrocities committed during that time.
His approach to forgiveness and reconciliation has gained international recognition as a successful means of resolving disputes and a reliable strategy for reconstruction after a war. He presently serves as the chair of The Elders, where he advocates for the disadvantaged and vocally defends human rights.
Review
A primer for finding the way to heal ourselves and the world, as well as for bringing our mind, spirit, and biology back into balance.” The author of What Are You Hungry For? is Deepak Chopra.
explains how to forgive and provides ethical and scientific justifications for doing so. No one is unforgiving; only a moral leader like Tutu may legitimately claim this. Everywhere, nightstands, bookcases, and shrines should have this book. — A starred review in Publishers Weekly
No one person more exemplifies the virtue of forgiveness than Desmond Tutu. His and his daughter’s book, which reveals the most demanding and liberating of human talents in all its complexity and transforming achievability, draws forgiveness out of the shadows and provides a manual on the subject. ― On Being’s host and executive producer, Krista Tippett
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Who better to preach forgiveness than Bishop Tutu and his daughter, who have dutifully endured the most trying and taxing times in South Africa’s history? With knowledge, reality, and charity, this book fills a critical gap in our society. Author of The Prophetic Imagination, Walter Brueggemann
Each of us may learn from Desmond Tutu how to turn our suffering into optimism and self-assurance for the future. Whether you are in charge of a home or a nation, you will value his comments. — Former South African President Nelson Mandela, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize
The rights of lesbian, homosexual, bisexual, and transgender people have been fiercely defended by Tutu, who has been a moral titan for decades. She is a voice of principle, an unwavering advocate for justice, a committed mediator, and an outspoken voice for freedom and fairness in nations all over the world. Barack Obama, President
His life and the tale of how this little South African preacher with a big laugh became our worldwide protector will be [Tutu’s] unofficial legacy. — Time
Archbishop Tutu has the capacity to recognise humanity in everyone he encounters and to inspire us to do the same.” Bill Clinton
Archbishop Desmond Tutu has presented us with a bright picture of love and hope, just like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. did before him. Archbishop Tutu, who is very kind and compassionate, gives a spiritual lesson that, if followed, has the power to alter both history and lives. Jimmy Carter
I hold my close and reliable friend Archbishop Desmond Tutu in the greatest respect. He is a beautiful, kind person, and I particularly respect the human values he promotes. His Majesty the Dalai Lama
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I’ve learnt from [Tutu]… that he has that unwavering and persistent faith that things can get better and that we can take action.” There should be no justifications for us to do nothing or say nothing. Kofi Annan, the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize recipient and former UN secretary-general
Desmond Tutu has lived up to his words throughout his adult life. We may all be thankful that he and his daughter Mpho have now revealed the reasons behind his immense delight and hope. Mary Robinson, the former Irish president
I don’t think anyone on this planet has a greater awareness of God’s goodness and presence than Archbishop Tutu.” — The Gifts of the Jews and How the Irish Saved Civilisation, written by Thomas Cahill.
In addition to being an anti-apartheid activist, Tutu was a person who had given spiritual principles considerable attention and had incorporated them into his work. I was somewhat reminded of Gandhi by that. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, Nobel Peace Prize recipient
Bishop Tutu and his daughter Mpho offer ground-breaking perspectives on how to recognise and address our enduring burdens of suffering and pain in order to establish a new paradigm of transformative healing.” Annie Lennox
There aren’t enough words to describe how much I love this book… Even though suffering is always unpleasant, Desmond Tutu and his daughter demonstrate that it need not be destructive. — CBE Terry Waite
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Summary
Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a Nobel laureate, has seen some of the most heinous acts that individuals can commit on another. He is therefore invariably asked this question wherever he travels. His response is this book.
Together with his daughter, Mpho, an Anglican priest, they wrote a book outlining the basic yet profound truths of forgiveness, including its importance, how it operates, why everyone should understand how to offer and receive it, and why it is the best gift we can give to ourselves after being wronged.
In addition to providing meditations, exercises, and prayers to help the reader along the path, they describe the four steps of forgiveness: Telling the Story, Naming the Hurt, Granting Forgiveness, and Renewing or Releasing the Relationship.
With each act of forgiveness, whether small or great, we move toward wholeness,” they say. “Forgiveness is how we bring peace to ourselves and our world.”