Archbishop
Denis Hurley dies suddenly (14/02/2004 -
Durban, South Africa)
Denis Hurley
The
former Archbishop of Durban, South Africa, died suddenly yesterday of
a massive stroke. He was 89 years old.
Denis Eugene Hurley was born at Cape Town, South Africa, on November
9, 1915 into a family of Irish origin. He made first vows in
Cahermoyle, Ireland in 1933 and was ordained a priest in Rome in 1939.
Upon returning to South Africa, he was appointed to Durban’s cathedral
parish where he learned Zulu. In January 1944 – when he was only 28
years old – he became the first superior of the Oblate scholasticate
founded at Pietermaritzburg. He was 31 years and one month of age when
Pius XII appointed him Vicar Apostolic of Natal in December 1946. He
was the world’s youngest Catholic bishop. The Apostolic Vicariate of
Natal became the archdiocese of Durban in 1951 and Hurley was its
first archbishop, until his mandatory resignation for reasons of age
(75) in 1992.
At the time of his retirement in 1992 he was the world’s longest
serving Catholic bishop (45 years), having led the Catholic Church in
Durban throughout almost all the years of apartheid. His courageous
stand as archbishop and president of the Episcopal Conference against
this unjust system resulted in his being brought before the courts;
nearly two years of proceedings came to a close with his acquittal in
February 1985. For his courageous opposition to that policy and his
sterling contribution to freedom and justice, the governments of Italy
and South Africa have honored him. By decree of the President of Italy
he was made a Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian
Republic in 1997 and received the Order of Merit First Class from
President Nelson Mandela in 1999.
At the request of his successor in Durban, Archbishop Wilfrid Napier,
he accepted to be pastor of the cathedral parish in Durban, a charge
he fulfilled until recently. He had just returned to South Africa from
a meeting in Rome sponsored by the Saint Egidio Community when the
Lord called this “faithful servant” home.
