As tributes are being made across the world to Nelson Mandela, a common theme is his emphasis on forgiveness, peace and reconciliation.
All of these processes are essential elements of the world’s major religions. In tribute to both Mandela and the contributions of the world’s faith community, here is a listing of faith leaders who, like Mandela, worked tirelessly for peace.
Pope Benedict XV
(1854-1922)
While serving as pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church from 1914 to 1922, Benedict became the only modern pope to offer a specific peace plan to end an armed conflict. Like many pacifists, Benedict was grieved by the outbreak of World War I (1914-1918). He developed the Papal Peace Note in 1917, and used diplomatic channels to try to get countries on both sides to agree to it. Although his efforts were unsuccessful and the war continued, some of Benedict’s ideas were later adopted by world leaders who formed assemblies such as the League of Nations and the United Nations.
Martin Luther King Jr.
(1929-1968)
King’s contributions to the cause for equality and justice are likely to never be forgotten. Beginning with the 1955 Montgomery bus boycott, King led several peace protests and struggles against segregation in various cities in the South. In 1964, he received the Nobel Peace Prize for combating racial inequality through nonviolence. Toward the end of his life, King’s ministry had expanded and evolved to include efforts to fight poverty and end armed conflicts such as the Vietnam War.
Warith Deen Muhammad
(1933-2008)
Known as a progressive Muslim leader, theologian and philosopher, Muhammad was leader of the American Society of Muslims. Muhammed was a strong advocate of peace and interfaith dialogue. He was deeply committed to building bridges between African-American Muslims and immigrants from the Middle East and Asia. In 1999, he was elected president of the World Conference of Religion and Peace.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu
(1931- )
Tutu, a close friend of Mandela’s, is well known for his commitment to peace and social rights as the first Black South African Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town from 1978 to 1996. During the 1980s, he became famous for his contributions in the struggle to end apartheid in South Africa. Tutu received the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize for his non-violent efforts against apartheid, and has also been given the Sydney and Gandhi Peace prizes as he has campaigned against war, poverty, racism, sexism and AIDS.
Mother Teresa
(1910-1997)
Born in Albania and based in India, Mother Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity, a Roman Catholic religious organization, which currently has more than 4,500 sisters and is active in 133 countries. They run hospices and homes for people with HIV/AIDS, leprosy and tuberculosis; soup kitchens; children’s and family counseling programs; orphanages; and schools. Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 “for work undertaken in the struggle to overcome poverty and distress, which also constitutes a threat to peace.”
Jesse Jackson Sr.
(1941- )
Although he is best known for his civil rights activism and his groundbreaking 1984 and 1988 campaigns for president, Jackson has also made contributions to international peace efforts.
In 1983, Jackson played a leading role in securing the release of Navy Lt. Robert Goodman, who had been shot down over Lebanon while on a mission to bomb Syrian military positions. Jackson also negotiated the release of 22 Americans held in Cuba in 1984. On the eve of the 1991 Persian Gulf War, Jackson visited Iraq and convinced Saddam Hussein to release several British and American individuals. On behalf of President Bill Clinton, he helped preside over free and fair elections in Kenya in 1997, and negotiated the release of three U.S. POWs captured during the Kosovo War. In 2003, Jackson spoke in front of more than 1 million people in London as part of an international anti-war demonstration against the military invasion of Iraq.
Tenzin Gyatso
(1935- )
Better known as the 14th Dalai Lama, Gyatso is both a Buddhist spiritual leader and exiled head of state of Tibet. Exiled from his homeland by Chinese Communists in 1959, the Dalai Lama has since traveled the world, promoting the welfare of Tibetans, as well as compassion, the environment and interfaith dialogue. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989.
