Beyers Naudé was 'n goeie man, vol van die Heilige Gees en met 'n vaste geloof.

Dit is my voorreg om in my rol as President van die Suid-Afrikaanse Raad van Kerke deel te mag neem aan hierdie roudiens van Beyers Naudé. Hy was nie net Algemene Sekretaris van die Raad van Kerke nie, maar ook tot sy afsterwe op 7 September 2004, Ere-President van die SARK.

Beyers Naudé wouldn't want to be remembered for his many sacrifices, but much rather for his hope and his character.

Thinking about his character, I am reminded by the words of John F Kennedy.

He once said that at a future date the high court of history will sit in judgment on each one of us, recording whether in our brief span of service we fulfilled our responsibilities in whatever office we hold. This will be measured by four main qualities of our character: courage, judgment, integrity and dedication.

I imagine what the High Court of History will find on Beyers Naudé:

Firstly, he was a man of true courage, with the courage to stand up to his enemies, and the courage to stand up, whenever it was necessary, to his own associates and his own people, and he had the courage to resist public pressure as well as private greed.

Second, he was truly a man of judgment, with perceptive judgment of the future as well as the past, of his own mistakes as well as the mistakes of others, with enough wisdom to act on his judgments.

Third, he was also a man of integrity who never ran out on either the principles in which he believed or the people who believed in him. Above all, he was one of those who could not be diverted from his sacred duty and obedience neither by financial gain nor political and ecclesial ambition.

Finally, he was a man of dedication. He was truly a man of dedication with an honour mortgaged to no single human being or group, and compromised by no private obligation or aim, but devoted solely to serving the public good and the interest of justice in obedience to God.

Courage, judgment, integrity and dedication -- these are the historic qualities of Beyers Naudé, the man who warmed the earth for a very brief time.

As the Bible would state it: Beyers Naudé was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith.

His whole life was unto us like a daily reading from the sacred scriptures. It was a constant reminder to us as churches, as people from different faith communities and as a nation: "remember your unity!", "work together for the just common good", "pray without end for peace and reconciliation" and "live in love and hope".

Beyers Naudé was full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. His sermons were always expressions of hope. The courage to hope and to give account of ones' hope were the cornerstones of his ministry.

He leaves with us one last symbolic message:

A Funeral service in Aasvoëlkop and the ashes in Alexandra.

Aasvoëlkop and Alexandra are now inextricably linked after this weekend.

What meaning could this final message of the prophet hold:

There can be no hope in Aasvoëlkop for as long as there are pockets of despair in Alexandra.

Aasvoëlkop will not be free from the past for as long as the past is alive in Alexandra.

There is no real hope for the son of the farmer unless there is hope in the heart of the daughter of the farmworker.

UBeyers Naudé ube-yindoda elungileyo, ezele nguMoya oyiNgcwele kwaye enokholo olumi zu.

Hamba Kahle, Oom Bey.

The Rev. Dr. H Russel Botman
President of the South African Council of Churches
Delivered at Dr. Naudé's funeral
18 September 2004