The Most Rev. Desmond Tutu, Archbishop of Capetown and Primate of the Church in the Province of Southern Africa, was greeted by large crowds during a visit to Milwaukee May 12-15.

Archbishop Tutu went to Wisconsin as the speaker for the 25th anniversary celebration of the Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee. He also visited a children's hospital, spoke at a community gathering, and preached at All Saints' Cathedral. A frequent message during the trip was thanks to Americans for their support during South Africa's struggle against apartheid.

"I wish there was surgery we could perform to open my heart," the archbishop told the crowd at a small Presbyterian church, where an outdoor gathering was moved because of rain. "There you would see the depth of my gratitude."

During much of his visit, Archbishop Tutu was accompanied by his former suffragan, the Rt. Rev. Patrick Matolengwe, now dean of the Milwaukee cathedral.

At Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, he visited children and parents, and spoke at a press conference of the responsibilities of adults.

"It is ghastly to hear that every two hours one child is killed with a gun in this country," he said. "It is adults who teach them to hate, who teach them to hurt We have to change the hearts of adults so the world can become hospitable to children."

When he preached during the Sunday Eucharist at the cathedral, the archbishop related the message of the Easter season to the struggles of South Africa.

"We have achieved a spectacular victory over injustice and oppression," he told more than 600 persons who packed the church. "We have experienced darknesses in South Africa. The light has overcome it.

"If the nightmare of apartheid could end, then the nightmares of everyone can end."

Archbishop Tutu and the Rt. Rev. Roger J. White, Bishop of Milwaukee, were concelebrants at the Eucharist celebrated by Bishop Matolengwe.

At an elementary school, the archbishop participated in a celebration of peace with students. He was a familiar figure to pupils there because his likeness is portrayed with five other peacemakers in a mural at the entrance to the school. He autographed the mural and told the children, "You are beautiful, like a garden where all the flowers are different." The school includes students who speak 17 languages.