Cardinal Turkson with Dr. Bawumia at the ceremony
One of Ghana’s prominent personalities lifting the flag of the country high, Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, has been awarded for his commitment to the advancement of God’s kingdom and mankind.
This was when the Millennium Excellence Foundation (MEF) under the distinguished patronage of the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, conferred on him a special award Thursday evening.
Cardinal Turkson was named by Pope Francis as the first Prefect of the Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development of the Catholic Church in the Vatican, which began operations on January 1, 2017, a post he continues to hold at present.
The Dicastery was the consolidation of several areas under one administration including, environment, ecology, ethics, dignity of all people, poverty, and economics, whose current implementation (growth economics), Pope Francis sees as destructive on many fronts.
Prior to that, he was appointed President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace from October 24, 2009 to January 1, 2017 by the late Pope John Paul II.
Vice President Bawumia, who was at the award ceremony, paid glowing tribute to Cardinal Turkson for his humility and dedication to duty.
“The conferment of this special award to Cardinal Turkson, without doubt, is a fitting tribute to his outstanding contribution to the Christian Religion, our country Ghana and humanity. From the documentary showed, and from the glowing tributes by eminent Ghanaians such as His Excellency President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and His Royal Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, there can be no doubt about the impactful life Cardinal Turkson has had so far,” Dr. Bawumia said.
For him, “what is fascinating about the life of Cardinal Turkson, is his remarkable rise from a humble beginning in Nsuta-Wassaw, in the Western Region, to his present status as one of the most revered global figures in the Catholic faith.”
“His rise teaches us one thing; that no matter where you are from, with hard work and perseverance, you can achieve your set targets, by the grace of God. I believe young Cardinal Turkson set out to be only a Catholic priest, to impact humanity positively, as his life trajectory shows a dedicated pursuit of knowledge in theology to the highest level within the Catholic faith,” he said.
The Vice President said, “Cardinal Turkson has also demonstrated impressive traits of selflessness, as he has, for a long time in his glittering career, also shared to others what he has learnt by being a teacher, alongside his religious responsibilities.”
That, he said, was because “many would have abandoned the classroom to only concentrate on their core religious duties, but Cardinal Turkson did not, and for over a decade, he taught geography and religious studies even as he continued to rise up the ladder as a priest.”
Dr. Bawumia stressed the need for the diversity of Cardinal Turkson’s family background to inspire Ghanaians and for that matter all human beings to continue to live in peace and harmony.
Apart from having a paternal uncle who was a Muslim, the man of God is said to have been born to a Methodist mother and a Roman Catholic Father.
For the Vice President, “that must have been beautiful situation in the family”, a scenario he said was a beautiful reality Ghana as a country continues to enjoy, saying “in many Ghanaian families, you will find similar situations of people with diverse religious backgrounds.”
An elated Cardinal Turkson thanked Otumfuo Osei Tutu II and the Foundation for the honour done him, and stressed the need for Ghanaians to let the motto of Ghana’s coat of arms ‘freedom and justice’ reflect in their lives.
For him, pursuing the cause of freedom and justice is part of the service to God and mankind.
By Charles Takyi-Boadu