The South African Council of Churches and the entire ecumenical movement mourn the loss of Archbishop Denis Hurley, the emeritus Bishop of Durban, who died of a stroke on 13 February 2004, aged 88.

At an memorial service for the late Archbishop, held jointly with the Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference at Khotso House in Johannesburg, Dr. Molefe Tsele, General Secretary of the SACC said, "We want to join all the Catholics to express our sorrow and sadness for the death of Archbishop Denis Hurley. His incisive intellect and progressive thinking, coupled with his willingness to be prophetic during our liberation struggle against apartheid, was an asset to all the people of this country. And so we thank God for his life and his ministry, and pray that his religious community and all who shared in his work will take comfort in the hope of the Resurrection."

In a statement read at the service, former SACC General Secretary, Dr. Frank Chikane, "thanked God for having given us Archbishop Hurley for such a long time, to be light in our midst, a life for the people and a sign of hope for humanity." "Those of us who were involved in the bitter struggle to remove the evil and brutal apartheid system, and those who were on the receiving side of the worst forms of racism, Archbishop Hurley's life, work and witness saved us from a consuming bitter hatred against whites in the country," Dr. Chikane remembered.

Born in Cape Town 9 November 1915, Hurley was ordained a priest in the order of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate in 1939. At the age of 31, he became Bishop of Durban, then the youngest Catholic Bishop in the world. He was consecrated as Archbishop four years later.

As leader of the Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference for many years, Archbishop Hurley was a tireless proponent of social and economic justice and a champion of ecumenical cooperation. In recent years, he did not shrink from raising sensitive issues such as the empowerment of the poor, the ordination of women, and the need to combat the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS. With characteristic humility, Hurley returned to serving as a parish priest at Durban's Emmanuel Cathedral following his retirement as Archbishop in 1992.

Archbishop Hurley's body will lie in state at Emmanuel Cathedral from 10h00 until midnight on Thursday, 26 February and Friday, 27 February. Night vigils will be held both evenings, beginning at 18h00 and continuing until midnight on Thursday and then until 6h00 on Saturday morning. A book of condolence will also be available to sign.

The funeral will be commence at 10h00 on Saturday, 28 February, at ABSA Stadium in Walter Gilbert Road, Durban, to be followed by a private burial service at Emmanuel Cathedral.

There will also be a memorial service, organised jointly by the City of Durban and the Archdiocese of Durban, at the Durban City Hall at noon on Friday, 27 February.

For more information, contact the Archdiocese of Durban (031) 303 1417