Desmond Tutu holding a historical picture of him together with the LGW leader, José de Paiva Netto.

A friend of Good Will, Desmond always showed his esteem for the Legion of Good Will (LGW) and the work of its President, José de Paiva Netto. Once, even before boarding to Brazil—as registered by the newspaper Correio Braziliense, from the Federal District, in May 1987—Desmond Tutu declared to a diplomat of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brazil: “Arriving at your country, I would like to meet with my Brothers in Faith and I want to see again two great friends: Dom Hélder Camara and the President of the Legion of Good Will, José de Paiva Netto”.

Former South African President Nelson Mandela, his wife, Graça Machel, and Enaildo Viana, representative of the LGW President, during the ceremony in which Mandela was honored with the ParlaMundi Commendation in 1998.

Nelson Mandela, a great figure in South Africa’s fight against apartheid, was awarded in the Hors-Concours category with the Commendation of the Order of Merit of Ecumenical Fraternity* in 1997. Moreover, when visiting Brazil in 1998, the pacifist leader received the award in person, declaring on the occasion: “I feel very happy and honored with this homage given by the ParlaMundi of the Legion of Good Will”.

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*Commendation of the Order of Merit of Ecumenical Fraternity — Instituted by the leader of the LGW in 1996, the prize is awarded annually by the World Parliament of Ecumenical Fraternity, the ParlaMundi of the LGW, to those who most stand out in their respective areas of performance and have as basic principle in the activities they conduct, Solidarity without borders.

Renowned personalities have already been awarded with the Commendation for their work in spreading Peace and Solidarity in Brazil and around the world. Among them are statesmen Mário Soares (former President of Portugal) and Nelson Mandela (former President of South Africa); Tibetan leader Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso; former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, and the Athlete of the Century, Pelé, besides other important names from diverse branches of the Brazilian and world society.

Version: Johann Weber
Revision: Silvana Bosso