The Irish Spirit – Issue No. 12
From the book Beautiful Thoughts for Beautiful Minds by John Scally
The late Pope John Paul I was known as the ‘smiling Pope’. Desmond Tutu is the laughing archbishop – a man who wears his humanity on his sleeve. When I was a boy, one of my favourite songs was ‘What A Beautiful Noise’ by Neil Diamond. To anyone lucky enough to meet him, the beautiful noise will always be the sound of Desmond Tutu’s great heartfelt laugh – a sound resonant with warmth, sincerity and humanity. It is a shock to find how relaxed the former Nobel Peace Prize winner is, even though as one of the best-known faces in the world he is constantly in demand.
Although Desmond Tutu is clearly shaped by his life in South Africa, he has a wide number of contacts with Ireland. The Troubles in Northern Ireland and the efforts to find reconciliation afterwards mirrors the struggle in his country to find peace after the bitter divisions of the apartheid regime.
“For far too long we in South Africa, as in the North of Ireland, have been defined in terms of what we are against. Surely the time has come for us to be defined more by what we are for. This raises two crucial questions: What values do we witness to? How do we give witness?
“In this perspective the Church does not in any way diminish its vocation to confess and preach Christ when it recognises that the mystery of his salvation offers an embrace of healing mercy in which everyone has a place. On the contrary, it acknowledges that in the many paths that people follow in search of happiness and good, there is a common aspiration, written in hearts and in consciences by the Creator of the world, which is the aspiration for peace. My vision is for a dialogue between the religious traditions where each should without giving up their difference seek to realise their shared hope. They should stand shoulder-to-shoulder with one another and commit themselves to justice and peace for the good of all. Thus they can be a blessing to one another and the world.”
I discovered upon meeting him that Archbishop Tutu has a surprisingly in-depth knowledge of Irish history. A particular area of fascination for him is the Irish famine.
“The Ireland of the 1840s was a vision of hell – the years of a tragedy beyond belief when over a million people on this tiny island died from famine. Nothing prepared people for it. Nothing could prepare anyone for the sight and smell of death on a massive scale – bundles of corpses where once there had been life.
I think this is a major reason why so many Irish people have worked to help the poor in the developing world as either missionaries or aid workers. I think because of their own experience of famine the Irish people have such an obvious sympathy for the needy and the poor in the developing world. I think Irish Christians feel the need to be in solidarity with the poor because they have such devotion to the Eucharist. Sharing the bread and wine symbolises the bond of love which unites us all in God’s spirit and in that way creates an authentic community.”
Desmond Tutu admires many people. One of his heroines is a little surprising:
“I have a great devotion to Thérèse of Lisieux. In her whole life she fought for a ‘higher way’, a deeper intimacy with God and a faith that challenged others to put God first. As I am not part of the Catholic tradition I think my interest in her indicates that she has an ecumenical appeal.
“At the centre of her spirituality is prayer. C.S. Lewis is back in vogue now following the cinematic treatment of his Chronicles of Narnia. In his play Shadowlands Lewis wrote: ‘That’s not why I pray, Harry. I pray because I can’t help myself. I pray because I’m helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time, waking and sleeping. It doesn’t change God, it changes me.’
“I think that is part of Thérèse’s appeal to us today. She encourages us to grasp the significance of retracting into oneself for inner peace, to seek solitude, silence and waiting, to be with God. It can’t have been easy to reach such a prominent position in the Church at a time when women were often seen rather than heard.”
Beautiful Thoughts for Beautiful Minds by John Scally is available from Currach Books.