Hawzah News Agency –In a message, the head of the Islamic Culture and Relations Organization, Hojjatoleslam Imanipour, expressed his condolences to the Christian community on the death of Desmond Tutu, the world- renowned bishop of South Africa who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984.

According to the Public Relations Department f the Islamic Culture and Relations Organization (ICRO), the message reads as follows:

Bishop Tutu suffered a lot during his tumultuous life, was persecuted many times, imprisoned and humiliated, but he was tireless and used these experiences to improve the condition of the people. After the victory of the South African Revolution, he worked hard for the love and forgiveness of whites, and because of these humanitarian efforts, he won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984.

The death of Bishop Desmond Tutu, who spent his life fighting racism, promoting human dignity and improving the condition of the people, has saddened the Christian community and his associates and friends.

He was a strong critic of racial discrimination in South Africa and showed great self-sacrifice to fight that racial-class system. In prison, he became a symbol of resistance and stability and in post-independence era, he became a source of benevolence, moral conscience and reconciliation between south Africans.

By ending of apartheid and the emergence of a democratic nation, together with his friend and compatriot Nelson Mandela, they took advantage of this historic opportunity and after independence, they created the "rainbow nation" and provided an opportunity for equality and freedom for all citizens.

Tutu always used the pulpit of the church as a force for social, moral and political change and preached people and the authorities. He had an anti-racist approach and was hostile to the policies of the occupying regime of Israel.

He was a few steps ahead of the society and the church and was the leader of the religious and social developments of his time. The world will now feel more than ever the loss of a courageous, determined bishop.