Desmond Tutu Foundation slams Church of England homophobia against daughter
mambaonline.comThe daughter of the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Mpho Tutu van Furth and her wife, Marceline The Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation has condemned the Church of England’s “callous” decision to bar Tutu’s daughter, Mpho Tutu-Van Furth, from presiding over a funeral because she’s married to a woman. Tutu van Furth, who is an Anglican priest in the US, was stopped by the Hereford Diocese from presiding over the funeral of her late godfather, Martin Kenyon, in the English county of Shropshire on Thursday.
According to the BBC, Kenyon’s family ended up moving the ceremony from St Michael and All Angels Church to a marquee in the vicarage next door so that Tutu van Furth was able to lead the service.
In a statement, the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation expressed its “deep dismay” at the decision and said, “the Church has again taken a position that undermines the safety, dignity, and value of members of the LGBTQIA community, and all human beings.” Throughout his life, the Archbishop Desmond Tutu – who passed away in December 2021 – was a vocal and unambiguous champion for LGBTQ+ rights.
In 2013, he infuriated homophobes and religious bigots around the world when he said: “I would refuse to go to a homophobic heaven.
