'A good sign': Desmond Tutu is chuckling in his hospital bed, says archbishop

Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu is in good spirits in hospital, says the Archbishop of Cape Town, Thabo Makgoba.

Tutu is being treated for a stubborn infection, his wife Leah said in a statement on Wednesday.

In a letter to parishioners, Makgoba said Tutu had been hospitalised a number of times over the past few years with similar infections.

“I went to see him this evening, where I found him lucid and engaging. He said he is as good as he can be for an 88-year-old, especially in view of his ill health in childhood,” Makgoba wrote.

“When I told him that I had told Leah I was coming to scold him out of hospital, he chuckled warmly, which is a good sign. He also said he apologised for making me do so many hospital visits!

“Before leaving, we said the Lord's Prayer together and I gave him a blessing.”

Makgoba asked parishioners to pray for Tutu, his family and the doctors treating him.