Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson
His Eminence Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson was born October 11, 1948 in Nsuta–Wassaw, a mining town in the Western Region of Ghana to a Methodist mother and a Roman Catholic father. His mother later converted to Catholicism. She sold vegetables in the open market while his father worked as a carpenter in the Manganese mines. He had a paternal uncle who was a Muslim. He is the fourth of ten children.
Priestly Ministry
After his ordination to the Holy Priesthood by Archbishop John Kodwo Amissah at the St Francis de Sales Cathedral in Cape Coast on 20th July, 1975, he taught Geography and Religious Studies at St. Teresa’s Minor Seminary in Amisano, 1975-1976, and was the curate in charge of the Catholic community of Amisano. This year of pastoral ministry was a requisite for post-ordination studies. Thus, from September 1976 to 1980, Fr. Turkson did licentiate studies in the Sacred Scriptures at the Pontifical Biblical Institute (Rome & Jerusalem).
He returned from his studies for the Licentiate in Scripture to resume teaching:
Archbishop P. Kodwo Turkson (Episcopacy)
On October 6, 1992, he was appointed the Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Cape Coast by Pope John Paul II; and was consecrated and installed Archbishop of Cape Coast in the Cathedral of St. Francis de Sales, Cape Coast on March 27, 1993 by Archbishop Dominic Kodwo Andoh (Principal consecrator), Archbishop Peter Poreku- Dery and Bishop Peter Akwasi Sarpong (co-consecrators).
Assignments
Four years after his episcopal ordination and three years after joining the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference, he was elected as the President of the Bishops' Conference at the Plenary Assembly of the Conference in Ho (1997). At the same time the Vatican also named him a member of the Pontifical Commission for Catholic-Methodist Dialogue (1997-2005); member of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity (2002—present); and a member of the Pontifical Commission for the Cultural Patrimony of the Church (2002—present).
He was a member of the Governing Council of the University of Ghana, Legon (2001–2006); a member of the Board of Directors of Central Region Development Commission (CEDECOM …2002–2008) and a member of the National Sustainable Development of the Ministry of Environment of the Government of Ghana.
He pushed for the establishment of the Catholic University College of Ghana in 2003 at Fiapre – Sunyani, and serves, to date, as its Chancellor. In the same year, he led the Bishops’ Conference to start the Quality Insurance Company (QIC). From 2003 to 2007), he became the chairman of the Ghana chapter of the Conference of Religions for Peace, beginning a very useful pilgrimage of inter-faith relationship and cooperation.
In the Archdiocese and in the area of healthcare and social services, Cardinal Turkson created and coordinated diverse charitable and social service activities in the Archdiocese of Cape Coast: the establishment of a hospital in Buduburam (a Liberian refugee settlement camp), a maternity and fistula repair hospital at Mankessim, an addiction treatment center at Brafu-Yaw, Cape Coast, Summer Schools to upgrade the learning experience of students in less-endowed and rural Secondary Schools and Lay theology formation for Catechists.
Cardinal P. Kodwo Turkson (Cardinalate)
Saint John Paul II created and proclaimed him Cardinal-Priest of S. Liborio in his last consistory of 21 October 2003. Cardinal Turkson is the first Ghanaian cardinal, and was one of the cardinal electors of Benedict XVI (2005) and of Pope Francis (2013). He was described as "one of Africa's most energetic church leaders" by The Tablet, a Catholic International weekly Review, published in London.
Cardinal Turkson was the Vice President of the Association of Episcopal Conferences of Anglophone West Africa (AECAWA) from (2004–2007); and when (AECAWA) merged with its Francophone counterpart, the Conférence Épiscopale de l'Afrique de l'Ouest (CERAO) in 2007, he was elected the first President of the joint Conference of English-speaking and French-speaking Bishops of West Africa. He was also elected the treasurer of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) in the same year (2007). He was also named an Honorary President of the World Conference of Religions for Peace (WCRP).
He was appointed by the President of Ghana (Pres. Agyekum Kuffuor) to be the chairman of the first National Peace Council (2006–2010). e led a joint committee of the Christian Council and the Catholic Bishops to negotiate a peaceful outcome of the 2008 elections.
The Vatican and its Synods
A year after his Episcopal Ordination, Archbishop Turkson was invited to attend the Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops (April 10 to May 8, 1994), as a member.
This introduced his participation in subsequent Synods of the Holy See (Vatican) from 1994 to date.
Pope Benedict XVI appointed him as the General Relator of the 2nd Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops, with the theme: "The Church in Africa, at the Service of Reconciliation, Justice and Peace. “You are the salt of the earth, ... you are the light of the world'" (October 4 -25, 2009).
At the conclusion of that Synod, October 24, 2009, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Cardinal Turkson the President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. With that appointment, Cardinal Turkson transferred to the Vatican, where he lives to date.
Roman (Vatican) Curia
His first assignment in the Vatican was to Preside over the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. In 2016, Pope Francis merged the four Pontifical Councils for Justice and Peace, Migrants, Refugees and Itinerant People, Healthcare, and Cor unum (humanitarian assistance) under the name, Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, and appointed Cardinal Turkson its first Prefect. Besides, he is a member of the following Dicasteries of the Roman Curia:
Holy See Missions
On March 30, 2011, Pope Benedict XVI announced at his weekly general audience that he was sending Cardinal Turkson, as a Vatican mediator to contribute to a possible diplomatic, non-military solution to the potentially explosive civil conflict in Ivory Coast. Subsequently, he visited South Sudan twice on behalf of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.
Since 2014, Cardinal Turkson has carried the message of the Holy Father to the World Economic Forum at Davos-Klosters and represented his Dicastery.
Honours and Awards
Throughout his years as an Archbishop and as a Cardinal, he has received numerous honours and awards, including:
He is a member of the European Academy of Arts and Sciences (Philosophy & Religion division); a member of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences.
His Addresses and Speeches at Universities and World and National events are numerous: Eg. Integral Ecology in Laudato sì … Murcia, (Madrid -2 March 2016), Gregorian University, (Rome), Leuven University (Amsterdam), Sacro Cuore (Milan), Vienna, Granada etc.; the UN General Assemblies (on the MDGs and SDGs), at the ECOSOC (on ecology), EU Parliament at Strasbourg (religious freedom), UNESCO in Paris (on Integral Ecology), World Economic Forum, Davos-Klosters (on Economy of Pope Francis); OECD (on integral ecology); Stockholm International Water Institute and Vrij University, Amsterdam (on Water and Oceans), etc.
He has published several articles and book chapters, including:
Cardinal Peter K.A. Turkson speaks, reads and writes Fante, English, Italian, French, German, Hebrew. He reads and writes Latin, Greek and Spanish.