Power of Forgiveness in South Africa the Truth Commission Gave Amnesty in June to Militants Who Admitted to a Church Massacre

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"My wife was sitting by the {church} door, wearing a blue coat. Do you remember it? You shot her."

Last year, Dawie Ackerman confronted the black militants who attacked St. James Anglican Church in Cape Town in July 1993 and asked them to tell the truth. In turn, they asked him for forgiveness, which he and other members of the congregation have granted.

His questioning of the young black militants who murdered his wife remains one of the most spellbinding, inspiring moments of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Indeed, that interchange was the reason the TRC was created.

The TRC completed the painful circle last month by granting amnesty to the men …