The Rev. Canon Mpho Tutu-Van Firth, the daughter of former Cape Town Archbishop, Desmond Tutu, has revealed that she is giving up her church license over her decision to marry a woman.
“Because the South African Anglican Church does not recognise our marriage, I can no longer exercise my priestly ministry in South Africa,” Tutu-Van Firth stated, according to The Telegraph.
“The bishop of the (Cape Town) diocese was instructed to revoke my licence. I decided that I would give it to him rather than have him take it.”
Although same-sex marriage is legal in South Africa, the Anglican Church does not recognize the practice, as it goes against the traditional definition of marriage between one man and one woman.
Desmond Tutu became a prominent name in 1980s for his strong opposition to apartheid, along with his campaigns for a number of socials rights struggles, which earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984, along with many other awards.
Though he retired in 1996, he has continued calling on the Anglican Communion to change its laws on marriage, and has been a supporter of gay rights.
In July 2013, he even said that he would rather go to Hell than a “homophobic Heaven.”
