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Ghanaian cardinal destined to be an ecclesiastical star
Could Cardinal Peter Turkson of Cape Coast, Ghana, be the next pope?
Oct. 05, 2009
Cardinal Peter Turkson of Cape Coast, Ghana, blesses jugs of water to be used as holy water June 9 during his two-day pastoral visit to the small village of Ekumfi Nanaben.
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For the better part of three decades, the phrase “African pope” almost automatically beckoned images of Cardinal Francis Arinze, a smiling, charismatic Nigerian who loomed in the popular imagination as the best prospect to become the first African pope since Gelasius I in the late fifth century, and only the third African pope in history.
Arinze, however, is now retired and will turn 77 on Nov. 1. With the opening today of the second Synod for Africa, the torch has in effect been passed to Africa’s next great papabile, or candidate to become pope: Cardinal Peter Turkson of Ghana, who will celebrate his 61st birthday on Oct. 11.
Asked this morning during a Vatican news conference if the Catholic church is ready for a black pope, Turkson answered simply: "Why not?"
"We've had Kofi Annan as Secretary General of the United Nations ... he had his problems, but he did it. Now we have Obama in the United States. So, if by divine providence, God would wish to have a black man as pope, I say thanks be to God!"
It was vintage Turkson -- candid, charming, and delivered with a healthy dose of humor.
Turkson is the relator, or general secretary, of this Synod for Africa, and today he delivered the major programmatic opening speech, the Relatio ante disceptationem. In a symbolically fitting touch, he did so in the presence of Arinze, one of three co-presidents of the synod.
To be sure, all the normal cautions about papal forecasting apply. At age 82, Pope Benedict XVI is by all accounts in robust health, and seems set to continue leading the church for some time. Moreover, attempting to predict the next pope is a notoriously hazardous enterprise. The trash heaps of church history are littered with the carcasses of would-be prophets who have tried and failed.
Yet Turkson is a smart, hard-working, and charming prelate, and as Africa’s youngest cardinal, he’s destined to be an ecclesiastical star even if he never takes over the church’s top job.
Theologically, he’s seen as a moderate: For example, Turkson has signaled openness to the argument that condoms might be appropriate for couples where one partner is HIV-positive and the other isn’t, on the logic that the intent in that case is not to prevent pregnancy but to prevent disease.
In the past, the post of relator has sometimes foreshadowed bigger things to come. Both Cardinals Karol Wojtyla of Cracow and Joseph Ratzinger of Munich once served as the relator for a synod of bishops before becoming Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI, respectively.
Benedict himself obviously takes the appointment seriously. In the two previous synods of his papacy, the relators have been figures close to the pope who have themselves been widely rumored as possible successors: Cardinal Angelo Scola of Venice and Marc Ouellet of Quebec City in Canada.
For months now, Turkson has been widely tipped for a major post in the Roman Curia: President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, succeeding Italian Cardinal Renato Martino, himself almost 77. The hold-up is apparently due to Turkson himself, who’s made it known that he doesn’t want the job, preferring to focus on his pastoral obligations in Ghana. Nonetheless, it’s more or less taken for granted, both in Africa and in Vatican circles, that Turkson will wind up in Rome.
If so, that could propel Turkson even further up the list of possible papal candidates, since it would give him a bit of Roman seasoning. In addition, the Council for Justice and Peace is considered an important assignment, since its president is often called upon by the media to apply Catholic social teaching to whatever global crisis happens to be boiling at a given moment.
The confidence Turkson enjoys can be glimpsed from the long list of dicasteries, or offices of the Roman Curia, to which he belongs: 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 and the Pontifical Commission for the Cultural Heritage of the Church, in addition to the Council for Justice and Peace.
Born in Wassaw Nsuta in Western Ghana in 1948, Turkson studied at two local seminaries and at St. Anthony-on-Hudson in Rensselaer, New York (which later closed) before his priestly ordination in 1975. Among other things, that means Turkson is young enough that both his studies and priestly career have unfolded almost entirely in the period after the Second Vatican Council (1962-65).
In 1992, Turkson earned a doctorate in scripture from the prestigious Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome. Later that year, he became the Archbishop of Cape Coast in Ghana. He was 44 at the time, making him one of Africa’s younger senior prelates. He was named a cardinal by Pope John Paul II in 2003, becoming the first-ever cardinal from Ghana.
Turkson’s tribal language is Fante, and he’s comfortable in English, French, Italian, and German. As a Biblical scholar, he also knows Hebrew, Greek and Latin.
In recent years, Turkson has acquired a reputation as a leader in relations with two groups often seen as rivals to Catholicism on the African continent: Pentecostals and Muslims. In both cases, Turkson manages to blend a clear defense of the faith with an apparently sincere desire for dialogue, and a capacity to learn from what the others do well.
From the Pentecostals, Turkson has argued that Catholics can learn to put more emphasis on the gifts of the Holy Spirit – healings, intercessory prayer, and so on, in addition to their strong emphasis on a personal relationship with Jesus.
With Muslims, Turkson has encouraged Catholics to study the Qur’an as a bridge to understanding. He’s also taken up Pope Benedict’s call for inter-cultural, rather than precisely inter-religious, dialogue, pursuing areas of common effort on charitable and social justice projects.
Additional reports from the Synod for Africa are here:
- Africa is no longer the 'Beggar of the World'
- Africa’s dynamism real but also deceptive, cardinal says
- To bongos and bass guitar, pope calls Africa an 'immense spiritual lung'
Check the NCR Today blog throughout the day for updates on the synod for Africa from NCR senior correpsondent, John L. Allen Jr.
I wonder if he studied at the
I wonder if he studied at the seminary in Cape Coast. My late husband, Andrew Maloney, taught there in 1969-70, if my math is right.
I doubt if a moderate would
I doubt if a moderate would be chosen in such a time of grave turmoil and outright apostasy now which was more indirect in the past few decades. There will be fear that a moderate would only continue and perhaps add to the "dictatorship of rationalization" - unless a real apostasy might truly bring a time of "two popes" - one legitimate and the other one chosen by those who have given into the times.
I think a moderate is exactly
I think a moderate is exactly where things will go.
[BTW, do you mean a "dictatorship of relativism" by any chance?].
[BTW-2, I don't presume to know what you mean about a pope "given into the times" although I suspect that is just someone you don't agree with, but V2 did call us to pay attention to the times...
Anonymous on Oct. 05, 2009.
Anonymous on Oct. 05, 2009.
You stated:
"I doubt if a moderate would be chosen in such a time of grave turmoil and outright apostasy now which was more indirect in the past few decades. There will be fear that a moderate would only continue and perhaps add to the "dictatorship of rationalization" - unless a real apostasy might truly bring a time of "two popes" - one legitimate and the other one chosen by those who have given into the times."
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You speak about a "dictatorship of rationalization". Would you rather have a
'dictatorship of irrationalism'? What the people need is a PASTORAL POPE---one who is a good shepherd, rather than popes who love power so much that they have centralized it, diminished the role of the local church so badly that a nation's bishops are afraid to have national synods, which really address the individual needs of a nation.
We are all Catholics. But the individual needs of a nation, should be addressed by its bishops, after consulting the people. We need a pastoral pope, who is not afraid of recognizing that the Holy Spirit can also speak through the people as well as through the hierarchy.
If fact, dear Anonymous, in all the stories of apparitions of Jesus and Mary--have any of them ever involved an appearance to a pope, a cardinal, a bishop? Not one! It was always to the laity (and consecrated religious women--nuns and sisters---are also laity), who heard the requests of Jesus and Mary.
The Catholic world is badly in need of a Pastoral Pope!
I affirm that we are in need
I affirm that we are in need of a pastoral pope. I continue to be appaled at how much "The Church" has moved away from the ministry of Jesus. Are the leaders today the pharisees of Jesus' time?
Please, Lord, keep this man
Please, Lord, keep this man healthy and safe!
"Asked this morning during a
"Asked this morning during a Vatican news conference if the Catholic church is ready for a black pope, Turkson answered simply: 'Why not?'"
When the late Cardinal Winning of Glascow was asked, upon being made a cardinal, to assess his chances of being elected Pope, he replied with a candor rare in prelates: "They could do a lot worse!"
Is "the Catholic church is
Is "the Catholic church is ready for a black pope?" Of course! Always has been, always will be. As to the question, "are purported Catholics who may identify more with their own culture than with the teachings of Christ and the Church ready for a black pope?" No more so than purported members of the chosen people who identified more with their wordly, political roles and culture than with the teachings of Moses and the prophets and the call of Jesus. We all need to keep praying for the changes needed to better follow Our Lord. The "color" of the one chosen by God to lead us doesn't, and can't, matter.
The time has come, this is
The time has come, this is easy to see. The time has come for Africa, and for this priest, this cardinal.
I pray that the Lord protects
I pray that the Lord protects the papacy ! We must thank God for JP 2 and Pope Benedict, as they have given the Church the spark it needs to make the FIre of Christ come alive !
Not for the laity, especially
Not for the laity, especially not for women.
No, we must thank God for
No, we must thank God for John XXIII.
This man would seem to be a
This man would seem to be a breath of fresh air. The critical question of who would succeed an incapacitated pope. If dementia, for example, were to occur, there is no plan in place for succession. It was apparent that John Paul II was very frail in his last days, and it would have been reasonable for Benedict XVI to act on this disability question promptly after his election.
A thought on the "requested" $1.1 Million for the investigation and degradation of our religious sisters-- why not demand that the American Catholics collect this money and use it for a thorough analysis of the present pontificate? There is definitely something going on which isn't kosher!
I don't care WHO the next
I don't care WHO the next pope is, just as long as his election is SOON!
The morning after Peter
The morning after Peter Turkson was made a cardinal, on October 21, 2003, I told John Allen, "Last night, I met the first African pope since Gelasius I." I was referring to Peter Turkson, who was receiving best wishes from a whole line of people in the Hall of Consistories when I took him aside and chatted with him for at least twenty minutes about the need for "una chiesa popolare" rather than "una chiesa clericale." He was charming, but his answer didn't please me. It added up to: "Why can't we have both?" But the very fact that he was willing to engage minimal me in a lively, friendly argument made me take an instant liking to him. When, however, pundits like Allen start touting him as the next pope, I predict 1,363 vocal, wet-finger-to-the-breeze Catholics will start echoing Allen -- and that will diminish Peter's effectiveness -- in Rome, and elsewhere, too. I know the rambunctious Allen has picked up a lot of extra change by passing on his sometimes well-informed and sometimes not-so-well informed guesses (he didn't bet on Ratzinger), but I'd like to suggest he put a moratorium on all this "next pope" talk until Benedict passes on. Kaiser
He sounds like a winner. i
He sounds like a winner. i need to look for more information
I served with this inspiring
I served with this inspiring Cardinal at a parish in Connecticut about 4 years ago. He was warm, humble, charismatic, and brilliant. He is doing what God has called him to do. He is a perfect example of just what a bishop should be. You should have seen him at the reception after mass. If I could cast a vote it would certainly be for him. He is the real thing!
Who cares? Haven't the last
Who cares? Haven't the last two Bishops of Rome proven that the Curia is a right wing political organization that is too invested in holding on to their power and the failed and destructive concepts which belong to the Dark Ages and past centuries? It is entirely too late for us to expect any significant advancement of the cause of Christ from this reactionary breed that has hijacked the teachings of the Second Vatican Council. This Roman Imperial model will continue to decay at a rapid pace and the Holy Spirit will continue to give The People of God the tools that are needed to lay new foundations and to build a Church modeled after Jesus and not imperial Princes who have lost sight of His teachings. This current crop of cardinals and popes have strayed so far from Christ's love and examples that there really is no future for his corrupt imperial Roman model of the Church Universal.
Thank God we were spared
Thank God we were spared Arinze as pope, a man as traditionalist and culturally homophobic as many of the Anglican African prelates. Maybe Turkson is more catholic (and less ethnocentric) than Arinze but you can't tell from Allen's puff piece.
"Theologically, he’s seen as
"Theologically, he’s seen as a moderate: For example, Turkson has signaled openness to the argument that condoms might be appropriate for couples where one partner is HIV-positive and the other isn’t, on the logic that the intent in that case is not to prevent pregnancy but to prevent disease."
Thanks Mr. Allen...for just shooting Cardinal Turkson in the foot. Or have you already forgetten what you and the world reported that Pope Benedict had to say about CONDOMS before he even set foot on African soil earlier this year?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/vaticancityandholysee/5...
With friends like you.....
I believe the Cardinal
I believe the Cardinal studied at the Conventual Seminary, Saint Anthony-on-Hudson outside of Albany New York.
What about Cardinal Napier of
What about Cardinal Napier of Durban?
Is the Church ready for a
Is the Church ready for a Black Pope?
The Church has had a Black Pope for centuries, except when the Jesuits were suppressed.
I guess the issue of being a
I guess the issue of being a moderate theologian is false.It would have been better to state that Cardinal Turkson was a very solid theologian who was opened to dialogue. If he insinuated that there could be a kind of dialogue on the use of Condoms by couples especially when one had HIV/AIDS,it does not in anyway suggest that such dialogue would change the church's position on the given subject,for the essence of dialogue is not just to appease everybody but most importantly to make the truth more acceptable to all parties involved.
Discounting this then I am not just making a case for him as a future pope, of course every cardinal(cardinal electors)is a potential pope. It is not the skin which matters in this case, it is actually one whose choice coicides with God's will and not merely based on human considerations. So then, if it is God's will that he becomes Africans next pope, why not? Let us pray for him and for the church.
i would rather have the right
i would rather have the right candidate elected as pope due to all the right reasons, rather than (s)electing someone based on their race or geopolitical background. god works in mysterious and we should always keep in mind that electing a pope is not an action similar to selecting a venue for the next soccer world cup or summer/winter olympics. or even electing a president or prime minister of a particular nation. it's more than that. by the way, why have an african pope and not an indian pope, korean pope, chinese pope, or a pope from latin america?
africa is not a country, but it's a very complex continent with a mosaic of nations and peoples from very different backgrounds. believe me - there is no need at all to elect or appoint a pope just because he happens to be a person of colour or one who happens to have been born on the african candidate.
as a matter fact, cardinal arinzee has always behaved more like "the pope of nigeria"* rather than a cardinal within the universal church. i would be very saddened to see such individuals get a chance to lead the universal church for all the wrong reasons under the sun. so let us be very careful of what we wish for.
african popes from the past:
pope victor
pope miltiades
pope gelasius
*with all due respect to all the catholic community in nigeria, west africa and africa at large.
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