South African religious leader treated for prostate cancer

South African social rights activist and retired Anglican bishop, Desmond Mpilo Tutu, is currently being treated for prostate cancer.

The Nobel Peace Prize winner who has being battling prostate cancer for years, has cancelled his travel for the remainder of the year so he can remain at home and receive treatment.

The 83-year old icon on Tuesday, December 9 thanked supporters for the well wishes. "You may know I canceled my trip to Rome for the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates due to a reaction to a new treatment for my prostate and strengthening my bones," Tutu said in a statement posted to his Facebook page.

His daughter, Mpho Tutu, who is also the executive director of the Desmond Tutu Foundation said the changed plans don't mean there is a crisis, adding that her father is simply at home while his body adjusts to new medication.

Born October 7, 1931, Desmond Mpilo Tutu is a South African social rights activist and retired Anglican bishop who rose to worldwide fame during the 1980s as an opponent of apartheid. He was the first black Archbishop of Cape Town and bishop of the Church of the Province of Southern Africa (now the Anglican Church of Southern Africa).