Denis Hurley: Renewing the Church, opposing apartheid

University of Kwa-Zulu Natal Press, by Paddy Kearny

The title is taken from a comment made by Alan Paton about Archbishop Hurley. In the dark days of apartheid he was a brilliant light of hope, peace and grace for many people of all races and various beliefs. It has personal links also in that Denis Hurley's father was a lighthouse keeper who worked on many danger points along the South African coastline including many years of Denis' childhood and youth on Robben Island.

Paddy Kearney is a precise writer. He does not waste words or make wide generalisations that leave you with more questions than answers. He takes us into Denis Hurley's family heritage and follows his life from birth in Cape Town in 1915 to death in Durban in 2004. He has researched his subject well and presents his picture of Denis Hurley 'warts and all.' There are not many warts because Denis Hurley was a wise and committed church leader who mixed pastoral concern and prophetic political guidance with a grace that made calling him 'your grace' an easy task.

If politics is your interest then this is a must read about the two sets of politics this man endured: the South African politics of apartheid and the politics of the Catholic Church.

It was in the struggle against apartheid that I came to know Archbishop Hurley. He was a compassionate pastor who saw the harm caused to so many people by the dictates of a government tied to racist thinking. This led him to join forces with leaders of other denominations, as well as people of his own, who were committed to the same cause - the destruction of apartheid and a transition to a new South Africa based on equality and justice. Where energy and resources could be more properly used to bring people together rather than apart as well as creating a society in which sharing and caring for one another is the norm. Oh that we could find some new Archbishop Hurleys to help make the dream a reality!

Church politics come to the fore in his ongoing attempts to make the ideas and ideals of the Second Vatican Council, called by Pope John XXIII in 1962, bring about change in the Church. The nineteen sixties were special times: the cold war between the West and Russia became icy providing the threat of nuclear destruction; the pill provided a sexual revolution that challenged the moral fabric of society; colonial authorities handed over power to indigenous leaders; digital means of communication assisted the growth of globalisation not only of goods and commerce but attitudes and culture.

Hurley recognised what was happening and saw Vatican II providing immense possibilities for a more open and effective church with less importance given to status and the development of a greater lay participation and shared decision making. He was thrilled with the vision of a church becoming more engaged with the issues of justice and peace.

Slowly so much of this creative vision was stripped away by the conservative elements within the Church whose major concerns were to maintain traditions and making sure no apple carts were upset. As I read these pages I could not help but think of Barak Obama and the way his 'Yes we can' ideals have hit conservatively made obstacles on the road to changing the lifestyle and outlook of his nation. I hope he manages to come through with as much grace and grit as did Denis Hurley!

No book about the church, especially the Catholic Church, in modern times can escape the subject of sexual attitudes and abuse. I do not think the church as a whole, or most major religions for that matter, have yet managed to face up to the sexual revolution brought about by 'the pill' and the manner in which it has helped bring sex and sexuality into the public arena. In the typical manner of his generation Hurley was shy to talk openly about sex. He did not, however, shirk his responsibilities in dealing with issues of a sexual nature when they arose. His pastoral concern for the priests of his diocese was matched by an overwhelming concern for the people in their care.

He was Catholic to the core and faithful to its dictates. He did, however, make no secret of his support for the ordination of women. This was not to be through a break away movement but through the official approval of the Church. He said that his involvement in the struggles for human rights made him believe in the human right of women to enter the Catholic priesthood. He attended, and spoke at, the ordination of an Anglican woman priest and stated there that, "when I get to heaven I shall do my best to promote the idea!"

This book is a fascinating account of the life of one human being who, through the Church to which he was so deeply committed, and alongside the friends he came to know and love of other denominations or none, lived out the kind of life that is lived for the sake of others.

In telling the story of one man the author also tells the history of our South African society in the years of apartheid and transition to democracy. That is important. There is a Xhosa saying that 'until the lion tells its story, the hunter remains the hero.' The story, history, is always written and told by the powerful. In our present situation that means the African National Congress. Quite naturally in rewriting history from their perspective rather than that of the former colonials and the masters of apartheid they tend to present themselves as the heroes of the story. Others, whether they are different political groups or civic society organisations, tend to be ignored. This is one book to help other heroes appear in the story of our land.

Bernard Spong is a former Head of Communications of the South African Council of Churches and a minister of the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa.