Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson is a Ghanaian prelate and

cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...

of the Catholic Church who has served as chancellor of the Pontifical Academies of Sciences since 2022. He was president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace from 2009 to 2017 and the inaugural prefect of the

Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development The Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development (''Dicasterium ad integram humanam progressionem fovendam'' in Latin) is a dicastery of the Roman curia. The Vatican announced the creation of the dicastery on 31 August 2016 and it becam ...

from 2017 to 2021. Turkson was Archbishop of Cape Coast from 1992 to 2009. He was made a cardinal by Pope John Paul II in 2003. He has been widely regarded as ''

papabile ''Papabile'' (, also , ; ; or "able to be pope") is an unofficial Italian term first coined by Vaticanologists and now used internationally in many languages to describe a Catholic man, in practice always a cardinal, who is thought a likely ...

'', that is, a candidate for election to the papacy. '' The Tablet'' described him in 2013 as "one of Africa's most energetic church leaders".

Early life and priesthood

Turkson was born in Wassaw Nsuta in

Western Ghana The Western Region is located in south Ghana, spreads from the Ivory Coast ( Comoé District) in the west to the Central region in the east, includes the capital and large twin city of Sekondi-Takoradi on the coast, coastal Axim, and a hilly ...

to a Methodist mother and a Catholic father. He is the fourth child of ten children. His mother sold vegetables in the open market while his father worked as a carpenter. He had a paternal uncle who was a Muslim. He studied at St. Teresa's Minor Seminary in Amisano and St. Peter's Regional Seminary in Pedu before attending

St. Anthony-on-Hudson Seminary St. Anthony-on-Hudson Seminary was a Roman Catholic (term), Roman Catholic Church, Catholic seminary in Rensselaer, New York. Established in 1912, it was run by the Order of Friars Minor Conventual and closed in 1988. The facility was housed i ...

Rensselaer, New York Rensselaer is a city in Rensselaer County, New York, United States, and is located on the east side of the Hudson River, directly opposite of Albany. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 9,210. Rensselaer is on the western border of ...

, where he graduated with an M.A. in Theology and a

Master of Divinity For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and divi ...

. He was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop John Amissah on 20 July 1975. Additionally, he earned a licentiate in Sacred Scripture from the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome in 1980. He returned to St Teresa's for a year, 1980–81, and became vice-

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

at St Peter's Seminary in 1981. He also did pastoral work in a parish annexed to the seminary. From 1987 to 1992, he pursued doctoral studies in Sacred Scripture at the Pontifical Biblical Institute but his work on his thesis was interrupted by his appointment as archbishop of Cape Coast.

Episcopal career

On 6 October 1992, Turkson was appointed Archbishop of Cape Coast by Pope John Paul II. He received his episcopal consecration on 27 March 1993 from Archbishop Dominic Kodwo Andoh, with Archbishops

Peter Poreku Dery Peter Porekuu Dery (10 May 1918 – 6 March 2008), originally Porekuu Der, was a Ghanaian prelate of the Catholic Church who served as Archbishop of Tamale from 1974 to 1994, and was elevated to the rank of cardinal in 2006. He was the Bish ...

and Peter Kwasi Sarpong serving as

co-consecrators A consecrator is a bishop who ordains someone to the episcopacy. A co-consecrator is someone who assists the consecrator bishop in the act of ordaining a new bishop. The terms are used in the canon law of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Churches, ...

. He served as President of the Ghana

Catholic Bishops' Conference An episcopal conference, sometimes called a conference of bishops, is an official assembly of the bishops of the Catholic Church in a given territory. Episcopal conferences have long existed as informal entities. The first assembly of bishops to ...

from 1997 to 2005, and as

Chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

of the

Catholic University College of Ghana The Catholic University College of Ghana is one of the private universities in Ghana. It is located at Fiapre, Sunyani in the Bono Region. It was granted accreditation by the National Accreditation Board on 4 December 2002. The first batch of st ...

beginning in 2003. John Paul II created Turkson Cardinal-Priest of San Liborio in his final consistory of 21 October 2003. Turkson is the first Ghanaian cardinal and was one of the

cardinal electors A cardinal ( la, Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae cardinalis, literally 'cardinal of the Holy Roman Church') is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. Cardinals are created by the ruling pope and typically hold the title for life. Col ...

who participated in the papal conclave of 2005 that elected Pope Benedict XVI and the

papal conclave of 2013 The 2013 papal conclave was convened to elect a pope to succeed Pope Benedict XVI following his resignation on 28 February 2013. After the 115 participating cardinal-electors gathered, they set 12 March 2013 as the beginning of the conclave. On ...

that elected Pope Francis.

Roman Curia

On 24 October 2009, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Turkson president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. Turkson is also a member of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, the Pontifical Commission for the Cultural Heritage of the Church and, since 4 March 2010, the

Pontifical Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses The Pontifical Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses is part of the Roman Curia of the Roman Catholic Church. It was erected in 1879 by Pope Leo XIII. Its statutes were last updated by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009. Aims The purpose o ...

. On 12 June 2012, Turkson was appointed a member of the Congregation for Catholic Education. On 16 October 2010 Pope Benedict named him to a five-year renewable term as a member of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Since 2009 Turkson had been president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. In the spring of 2011, Pope Benedict XVI sent Cardinal Turkson as a mediator to contribute to a diplomatic, non-military solution to the civil conflict in

Ivory Coast Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is ...

, where Laurent Gbagbo had refused, in spite of international condemnation and local protests and resistance, to step aside and hand over power to

Alassane Ouattara Alassane Dramane Ouattara (; ; born 1 January 1942) is an Ivorian politician who has been President of Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire) since 2010. An economist by profession, Ouattara worked for the International Monetary Fund (IMF)Atrocities have been committed by both sides. In October 2011, Turkson called for the establishment of a "global public authority" and a "central world bank" to rule over financial institutions that have become outdated and often ineffective in dealing fairly with crises. His text was very specific, calling for taxation measures on financial transactions. It said that "The economic and financial crisis which the world is going through calls everyone, individuals and peoples, to examine in depth the principles and the cultural and moral values at the basis of social coexistence". The document condemned "the idolatry of the market" as well as " neo-liberal thinking" that looked exclusively at technical solutions to economic problems. "In fact, the crisis has revealed behaviours like selfishness, collective greed and hoarding of goods on a great scale." It added that world economics needed an "ethic of solidarity" among both rich and

poor Poverty is the state of having few material possessions or little

income< ...

nations. On 13 October 2012, at a Vatican conference of bishops meant to address evangelizing lapsed Catholics, Turkson showed a YouTube video called "Muslim Demographics" that makes alarmist predictions about the growth of Islam in Europe, a video Reuters called "spurious". Vatican Radio described it as a "fear-mongering presentation". It resulted in "the most raucous back-and-forth most

synod A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word ''wikt:synod, synod'' comes from the meaning "assembly" or "meeting" and is analogous with the Latin ...

veterans have ever witnessed. On 15 October, he apologized and said he had only hoped to focus discussion on more practical issues. Kardinaali Peter Turkson

In 2016, Pope Francis sent Turkson as his special envoy to pursue peace in South Sudan: to urge an end to violence in the country, and to help establish dialogue and trust between the warring parties. Turkson traveled to Juba to support the archbishop and to meet with the country's leaders. He also carried with him a letter from Francis for President

Salva Kiir Salva (Latin for "Save") may refer to: People *Francisco Salva Campillo (1751-1828), Spanish scientist * Ramon d'Salva (born 1921), Filipino actor * Héctor Salva (1939-2015), Uruguayan football midfielder *Salva Kiir Mayardit (born 1951), South ...

and one for Vice President

Riek Machar Dr. Riek Machar Teny Dhurgon (born 26 November 1952) is a South Sudanese politician who serves as the First Vice President of South Sudan. Political life In February 2020, Machar was re-sworn in as first vice president following a revitalised ...

who are historic enemies and represent different ethnic groups. On 31 August 2016, Pope Francis created the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, naming Turkson as its first prefect, effective 1 January 2017. Ahead of the World Meeting of Families 2018 in Dublin, Turkson was announced as

homilist A homily (from Greek ὁμιλία, ''homilía'') is a commentary that follows a reading of scripture, giving the "public explanation of a sacred doctrine" or text. The works of Origen and John Chrysostom (known as Paschal Homily) are considered ex ...

at the opening ceremony at the Cathedral of the Assumption, Carlow. On 23 December 2021, Pope Francis thanked Turkson for his service at the conclusion of his five-year term as prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, appointing Cardinal Michael Czerny as his temporary replacement. On 4 April 2022, Pope Francis named him chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences. Turkson speaks English, Fante, French, Italian, German, and Hebrew, in addition to understanding Latin and Greek.

Papabile status

Following the announcement on 11 February 2013 of the planned

resignation of Pope Benedict XVI The resignation of Pope Benedict XVI took effect on 28 February 2013 at 20:00 CET, following his announcement of it on 11 February. It made him the first pope to relinquish the office since Gregory XII was forced to resign in 1415 to end the Wes ...

, Turkson was identified by the media as a possible candidate for the papacy. Bookmakers Paddy Power and Ladbrokes made Turkson the favourite to be elected pope, with Paddy Power giving 2/1 odds. Odds variously of 4/1, 11/4 against (by Paddy Power), and 5/4 against (by Ladbrokes) were given. Parties unknown placed fake election posters in Rome with the caption "At the conclave, vote Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson!" Mgrs Stanislas-Lalanne & PeterTurkson

Views

HIV/AIDS and condoms

In 2009, he reaffirmed the Catholic moral teaching on contraception, in regard to statements made by Pope Benedict XVI that

condom A condom is a sheath-shaped barrier device used during sexual intercourse to reduce the probability of pregnancy or a sexually transmitted infection (STI). There are both male and female condoms. With proper use—and use at every act of in ...

s were not a solution to Africa's AIDS crisis that were taken out of context by the media. Turkson said that the quality of condoms in Africa is poor, their use would also engender false confidence. He said fidelity and, if infected, refraining from sex were the key to fighting the epidemic. He also said that the money being spent on condoms should instead be spent on providing anti-retroviral drugs to those already infected. He has affirmed that in certain circumstances natural family planning can be used.

Homosexuality

In 2012, in response to a speech by UN Secretary-General

Ban Ki-moon Ban Ki-moon (; ; born 13 June 1944) is a South Korean politician and diplomat who served as the eighth secretary-general of the United Nations between 2007 and 2016. Prior to his appointment as secretary-general, Ban was his country's Minister ...

urging Church leaders to do more for human rights and in particular LGBT rights in Africa, Turkson acknowledged that some of the sanctions imposed on homosexuals in Africa were an "exaggeration" but pointed out that the stigmatization of homosexuality in Africa is traditional and "just as there’s a sense of a call for rights, there’s also a call to respect culture, of all kinds of people." Turkson called on the Secretary-General to recognize the "subtle distinction between morality and human rights," and not disrespect moral doctrine in the name of protecting human rights. Turkson has endorsed anti-sodomy laws, in particular the Ugandan legislation on sodomy.

Clerical sexual abuse

In February 2013, Turkson told an interviewer that he believes that the sexual abuse of children by Catholic priests, if found in Africa, would not likely be in the same proportion as it is found in Europe. He said that "African traditional systems ... have protected its population against this tendency" and that "in several cultures in Africa homosexuality or for that matter any affair between two sexes of the same kind are not countenanced".

Reform of the international financial system

In response to the global economic crisis that hit in 2008, Turkson, together with bishop Mario Toso, elaborated a proposal to reform the international financial system by creating a Global Public Authority and a Global Bank that consider the interests of all developing countries. The document of 40 pages was officially presented in October 2011 and criticises the current structure of the International Monetary Fund and other institutions.

Society

In a 2010 interview by L'Osservatore Romano, Turkson stated that “toxic values” such as “relativism” and “atheistic secularism” should be avoided. He also stated that bad political leadership and exploitation of differences between many Africans has led to a lack of peace and justice in Africa. In August 2015, Turkson spoke at an

anti-abortion Anti-abortion movements, also self-styled as pro-life or abolitionist movements, are involved in the abortion debate advocating against the practice of abortion and its legality. Many anti-abortion movements began as countermovements in respons ...

conference of the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference in Accra's Holy Spirit Cathedral. In 2017, he held that pro-life activism and the message on climate change “are not separable.”

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Turkson, Peter Living people Cardinals created by Pope John Paul II Fante people Ghanaian cardinals Members of the Congregation for Catholic Education Members of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments Members of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith Members of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples Pontifical Biblical Institute alumni Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace 20th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Ghana 21st-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Ghana Roman Catholic archbishops of Cape Coast 1948 births