Nelson Mandela, 1918–2013

I join the world in mourning the death of President Nelson Mandela, and send out prayers to his family and the rest of South Africa in this time of profound grief. He was an example of courage in his fight for racial equality under the old apartheid system of extreme segregation. Even after giving up 27 years of his life to imprisonment, he showed the world a humble and wise leader who practiced a transcendent forgiveness through the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. It was always assumed that the transfer of power in South Africa could only be accomplished with war and bloodshed. But Madiba’s desire for peace and harmony erased any bitterness and rancor and his “long walk to freedom” from his tiny cell at Robben Island to the presidency of the Republic of South Africa seemed divinely inspired. May his spirit soar.