Description

Denis Hurley –  A Portrait by Friends – Forward by Desmond Tutu

183pages – paperback

21cm x 14.5cm

Anthony M Gamley editor

Archbishopp Hurley has been an extraordinary church leader for decades. Throughout the abysmal apartheid years, and to this day, he stood firm for justice and peace and, on the side of the poor and oppressed. His exceptional broadmindedness and sweeping ecumenism led naturally to an astonishing array of life-long interests. He seems to embrace variety with zeal, yet without compromising his own standards or those of his Church: he is truly “Catholic”!

In this book some 30 friends who have known and worked with Denis Hurley paint a portrait of him to honour his many years of service and especially the 50th anniversary of his appointment as Archbishop. The contributions – by a wide range of authors – cover the influences on his life; his ecclesiastical, educational and academic achievements; his stance on social justice and inevitable conflict with the Nationalist Party government; the role he played in the Second Vatican Council, and particularly in making the liturgy more accessible to lay people; his abilities as a hymn-writer; his fascination with the relationship between religion and science; his support for conscientious objectors and women’s causes; his stand on issues of human sexuality and the gargantuan challenge of HIV / AIDS, along with several other, perhaps little-known aspects and anecdotes concerning his multi-textured life.

Above all, his empathy, kindness and warmth are reflected as a thread running throughout.