Ghana’s Cardinal Turkson gets closer to becoming first black pope

Ghana Business News ^ | 10-24-09 | Emmanuel K. Dogbevi

[mlizzy]

Ghana’s first Catholic Cardinal, Peter Appiah Turkson is closer to becoming the first black pope ever of the Catholic Church.

Saturday October 24, 2009, Pope Benedict appointed Cardinal Turkson to head the Vatican’s justice and peace office. This position is a high-profile one that cements his reputation as a possible future candidate for the papal office, according to the Associated Press.

The justice and peace office is responsible for promoting the church’s social teachings on justice issues, such as war, the death penalty and human rights. Turkson told reporters three weeks ago there was no reason there couldn’t be a black pope, particularly after Barack Obama was elected U.S. president.

Turkson’s appointment to his new post was announced at the end of a three-week Vatican meeting on the role of the Catholic Church in Africa, which Turkson had headed. Born in 1948, Cardinal Peter Appiah Turkson became the first Ghanaian to be appointed to the position on October 21, 2003.

He has been the President of the Catholic Bishops Conference in Ghana since 1992. He is also the Chancellor of the Catholic University College of Ghana and the Archbishop of Cape Coast in Ghana’s Central Region. He was ordained priest on July 20, 1975; appointed Archbishop on November 21, 1992 and consecrated on March 27, 1993.

[mlizzy]

Turkson told reporters three weeks ago there was no reason there couldn’t be a black pope, particularly after Barack Obama was elected U.S. president.

[emphasis:mine]

[crazydad]

Wait am I in the twilight zone, don’t we have a pope?

[narses]

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Obama Says A Baby Is A Punishment

Obama: “If they make a mistake, I don’t want them punished with a baby.”

[Bulldawg Fan]

Is the Pope sick? Being almost Pope is like being almost pregnant.

[mlizzy]

Yes, I don’t like the way this article reads. It seems the cardinal shouldn’t have commented in the way the article reveals, because you’re right, we have a pope! And, of course, there has never been any reason why a pope couldn’t be black; it has nothing to do with our anti-life bi-racial president.

[markomalley]

I don't know where they get the first black pope.

There have been three popes from Africa already:

• Pope St. Victor I
• Pope St. Militiades
• Pope St. Gelasius

And I'm sure there would have been many more if not for the Mohammedan conquest of North Africa. Now there is no guarantee of the race of these three, but, I would submit that European Medieval artwork would give no indication of their appearance.

[T Minus Four]

In theory – God controls the cardinals when they choose the pope so that the cardinals choose the pope that is God’s choice. If that is true then:

*Why doesn’t it take only one vote that’s unaminous?

*If some cardinals vote for someone other that the elected pope – does that mean they are defying God’s will?

*If enough cardinals defy God – then could they elect a pope that God hasn’t have chosen?

[Sans-Culotte]

I don't know where they get the first black pope.

There have been three popes from Africa already:

* Pope St. Victor I
* Pope St. Militiades
* Pope St. Gelasius

Being from North Africa is not the same as being black.

[T Minus Four]

...and why would God need the US to pave the way for Him to consider a half-black pope?

[Errant]

Perhaps he is correct in his assumption. Malachy's name for the last pope is "Peter The Roman" I believe.

In 1909, Pius X (1835-1914) fell into a semi-trance with his head sunk on his chest, and after a few minutes he came to and opened his eyes with a look of horror on his face. He reputedly cried out: What I have seen was terrible… Will it be myself? Will it be my successor? What is certain is that the Pope will quit Rome, and in fleeing from the Vatican he will have to walk over the dead bodies of his priests. Do not tell anyone while I am alive (cf. Stephen Skinner, Millennium Prophecies, Carlton, p. 75).

[mlizzy]

Yipes, that didn't register with me right away ... here's St. Malachy's predictions ... Link.

[CondorFlight]

“Pope Benedict appointed Cardinal Turkson to head the Vatican’s justice and peace office.”

“Justice and peace” are too often code words for “disbelief” and “my kingdom is of this world”.

I hope in this instance the cardinal is also a Christian...

[Errant]

Accompanying the Cardinal to the Castle were His Eminence Peter Cardinal Appiah Turkson, ... In a homily at the St. Peter's Minor Basilica in Kumasi, Ghana.

It seems Kumasi is built like Rome on seven hills.

[Errant]

From your link:

In persecutione extrema S.R.E. sedebit Petrus Romanus, qui pascet oves in multis tribulationibus: quibus transactis civitas septicollis diruetur, & Judex tremêdus judicabit populum suum. Finis.

Translated:

(In extreme persecution, the seat of the Holy Roman Church will be occupied by Peter the Roman, who will feed the sheep through many tribulations, at the term of which the city of seven hills will be destroyed, and the formidable Judge will judge his people. The End.)

[Anitius Severinus Boethius]

Gelasius, by tradition, was what we would refer to as “black”.

[mlizzy]

I hope in this instance the cardinal is also a Christian...

"In response to a question regarding the position of the synod on AIDS, and particularly the use of condoms, the cardinal first noted that there are two prevailing answers: the use of condoms, and a greater availability of antiretroviral drugs." Link

The cardinal did go on to say condoms are "risky," but didn't condemn their usage altogether. Our own parish priest told me condoms are to never be used no matter what the reason. He didn't go into it regarding AIDS, but I would imagine he would say abstinence is the only answer. I'm going to have to speak with my brother-in-law, an orthodox R.C. priest on this ... now I'm already leery of this cardinal.

[livius]

He’s replacing Cdl Martino, a real left-wing loon who had never met an NGO or a statist program that he didn’t love. However, I think a lot of Africans are a little shaky on this doctrine stuff, including some who have made it fairly far up in the Church. I think there was a bit too much haste to get Africans into the heirarchy and in some cases they are not very orthodox (their doctrine is all over the place, and they support condoms, polygamy, witch doctors, etc.).

[Mrs. Don-o]

Turkson's present claim to fame is in resisting strong international pressure on Africans to accept three great modern evils:

(1) Abortion (being pushed by the UN and by many international development donors). Turkson's position is "No."

(2) Condomization (as a way to combat AIDS: Turkson backs the much more medically and morally sound course of abstinence before marriage, fidelity in marriage, which yields zero AIDS transmission)

(Not ruled upon yet, is the question whether a married couple could be permitted to use a condom if the husband ---but not the wife --- is HIV-positive. It might also be OK to use a condom if the married couple is past the age of childbearing, or where they are having intercourse only when the wife is in her naturally infertile time, that is, when they're practicing NFP. In such cases, the condom would have no contraceptive effect, just a disease-transmission-preventing effect.)

(3)Islamization/Shari'a. Turkson's strong position is "No."

Sounds like he has some good Justice creds. As defined by Catholic Christianity, not as defined by those who wrote the Politically Correct Dictionary.

[mlizzy]

I just read this: "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."

"With Muslims, Turkson has encouraged Catholics to study the Qur’an as a bridge to understanding." Link

An Opus Dei priest we spoke with regarding condom usage, said, "absolutely no" even past child-bearing years. He said you never stand in the way of Christ and His workings. I'll be surprised if this ruling goes toward condom usage. This cardinal concerns me.

[mlizzy]

Also, this bothers me the most about this cardinal Link

"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."

How could he be candid, charming and deliver his message with a dose of humor when referring to one of the biggest pro-aborts in history ... Barack Obama?