Ghanaian Cardinal ‘Peter Tuckson’ Has Been Named A Favourite To Succeed Benedict XVI As Pope

Could the next pop be black? HELL YEAH and it could be a Ghanaian as Cardinal Peter Turkson has been tipped as the right man to succeed Pope Benedict XVI.

That would be great…right?

According to the the Dailymail,

Following the shock announcement that Pope Benedict XVI will stand down later this month, speculation is rife over who the next Pontiff will be.

One thing that experts appear to agree on is that there is a strong possibility he will be the first non-European leader of the Roman Catholic Church.

The frontrunner according to some bookmakers is Ghanaian Cardinal Peter Turkson who, if he was voted in for the top job, would be the first black person to do so.

Three popes have hailed from Africa, but all were from Roman Africa and there is debate over whether they were white or Arab in appearance.

They were Pope Victor I from 189 to 199, Pope Miltiades from 311 until 314, and Pope Galasius, pope from 492 until 496….

Until John Paul II, who was from Poland, and Benedict XVI, from Germany, became popes the position was reserved solely for Italians. However, the post is now open to all.

Who gets the nod depends on the profile of the new pope that the cardinals who elect him at the next conclave think will guide the Church best.

Cardinal Turkson is currently the president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and took over from the post of Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for Divine Worship after Joseph Ratzinger became Pope Benedict XVI.

He has spoken about the prospect of the first black pope saying: ‘If God would wish to see a black man also as pope, thanks be to God’.

He was born in Wassaw Nsuta, Western Ghana, and studied at St Teresa’s Seminary in the village of Amisano and Pedu.

He went on to get a Bachelor’s degree in theology at St Anthony-on-Hudson Seminary in Rensselaer, New York. In July 1975 he was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop John Amissah.

Pope John Paul II made him Archbishop of Cape Coast in October 1992 and he became the first Ghanaian cardinal in 2003.

When it comes to Aids he keeps true to the Catholic teaching on contraception but conceded that condoms could be used by a married, faithful couple where one partner is infected.

He is not the only black African cardinal who could be elected to the job of pope with good odds being offered for Nigeria’s Cardinal Francis Arinze.

This will be really awesome if it happens…When you pray to God, pray that Cardinal Peter Turkson should be voted as the next Pope…Let’s paint the Vatican BLACK!