Ghanaian Cardinal Peter Turkson is among the top contenders to succeed Pope Francis. If the conclave, set to begin on Wednesday, May 7, were to elect him, he would become the first African pope in the history of the Catholic Church.
Appointed cardinal in 2003 by Pope John Paul II, Peter Turkson has made his mark on the international stage, particularly at major economic forums. He was also the first West African cleric to be elevated to the rank of cardinal.
Turkson was already considered a serious candidate during the 2013 conclave. Yet, three years earlier, he had expressed reluctance about the prospect of becoming the first Black pope. “I wouldn’t want to be that pope,” he said in an interview at the time, believing that such a pontificate would be especially difficult.
Now 76, Peter Turkson was born in Nsuta-Wassa, Ghana. Ordained a priest in 1975, he went on to study in Rome and New York before being appointed Archbishop of Cape Coast in 1992 by John Paul II, who would later elevate him to cardinal eleven years later.