Time for Denis Hurley sainthood?

by Letters Editor · October 8, 2015

From Mervyn Pollitt, Waterfall, KZN

The beatification of Benedict Daswa on September 13 must go down as a historic day in the life of the Catholic Church in South Africa.

Archbishop Denis Hurley

In promoting the cause of Bl Benedict, Bishop Hugh Slattery showed great vision and foresight. His successor, Bishop Jo�o Rodrigues, clearly continued the process, which culminated in the moving beatification Mass in a field at Tshitanini.

The diocese of Tzaneen is a� small rural diocese in a remote part of South Africa, yet through the prayers and active support of both clergy and laity it was able to bring the cause of Benedict Daswa to the Vatican and to achieve beatification within a short time.

While we rejoice in the events of September 13, let us take note that there are other candidates who are deserving of being considered for sainthood.

One such outstanding person is the late Archbishop Denis Hurley OMI, who led the Durban archdiocese for 45 years from 1947-92.

During these momentous years he was an outspoken opponent of apartheid and consistently championed human rights and the dignity of the individual.

He played a leading role in the deliberations of Vatican II and was an outstanding chancellor of the University of Natal.

During his term as archbishop, he faced many challenges and never shirked from making a decision. As a Church leader, he was always seen as a humble servant of God, loved and respected by all.

On November 9 we will mark the centenary of the birth of this outstanding servant of the Lord. That day will see the blessing and formal opening of the Denis Hurley Centre by Cardinal Wilfrid Napier, the successor of Hurley as archbishop of Durban.

Would it not be appropriate if on that day His Eminence brought joy to the many thousands of Durbanites by announcing the start of the process to promote the cause to canonise his illustrious predecessor? This would indeed be a blessed conclusion to the events surrounding the opening of the centre.

To help promote the cause there are numerous people still living (both Christian and members of other faiths) who can give first-hand testimony on the life of Archbishop Hurley. Further, the detailed archives of the archdiocese would also be a source of reference as will the excellent published works on the life of His Grace.

Surely if a small diocese such as Tzaneen with limited resources can achieve the beatification of Benedict Daswa, the Durban archdiocese, with the many resources as outlined above, should be able to promote the cause of Denis Hurley to canonised sainthood.

I call on the clergy and laity of Durban to support this call.