Tutu the Fourth Time

Well, now Fr. Dease has changed his mind. You have to admit that it can be hard to make a decision based on moral certainty and then change it so soon afterward.

If I were Desmond Tutu, I would be tempted to tell Fr. Dease that he and St. Thomas could shove off. But since archbishops should be made of more forgiving stock than I am, maybe he will give the folks at St. Thomas a visit.

Father Dease's letter [excerpted below] is on the St. Thomas web site

One of the strengths of a university is the opportunity that it provides to speak freely and to be open to other points of view on a wide variety of issues. And, I might add, to change our minds.

Therefore, I feel both humbled and proud to extend an invitation to Archbishop Desmond Tutu to speak at the University of St. Thomas.

I have wrestled with what is the right thing to do in this situation, and I have concluded that I made the wrong decision earlier this year not to invite the archbishop. Although well-intentioned, I did not have all of the facts and points of view, but now I do.

PeaceJam International may well choose to keep the alternative arrangements that it has made for its April 2008 conference, but I want the organization and Archbishop Tutu to know that we would be honored to hold the conference at St. Thomas.