Archbishop Desmond Tutu at a Nelson Mandela exhibit in 2013.

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84-year-old archbishop responding well to treatment, family says

Tutu has remained active with the Desmond Tutu Peace Foundation and other organizations

CNN  — 

Archbishop Desmond Tutu has been discharged from a South African hospital where he has spent the last three weeks receiving treatment, his family says.

The 84-year-old archbishop admitted himself to a Cape Town hospital last Wednesday. The family say he went through a similar treatment last year.

In a new statement, the family said the archbishop expressed his deepest gratitude to all who had sent love and prayers since his admission to hospital.

His daughter said he was being cared for by an amazing team of doctors, nurses and hospital staff, and was very conscious of how fortunate he was, thanks to the generosity of his medical team, to be able to receive first-class treatment not available to most South Africans.

Tutu underwent hospital tests for a persistent infection in 2013. A year later, he canceled travel plans because of a long-running battle with prostate cancer, first diagnosed in 1997.

Desmond Tutu Fast Facts

He also underwent hospital tests for a persistent infection in 2013. A year later, he canceled travel plans because of a long-running battle with prostate cancer.

Tutu, the first black Archbishop of Cape Town, received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for his efforts to end apartheid. In his later years, he has remained active with the Desmond Tutu Peace Foundation and other organizations.

He played a key role in that nation’s transition from the apartheid era, including serving as chairman of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission at the direction of then-President Nelson Mandela.

From CNN’s Brent Swails in Johannesburg.