Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, Chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, Prefect emeritus of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, Archbishop emeritus of Cape Coast (Ghana), was born on 11 October 1948 in Wassa Kabusa, Ghana.

He attended Saint Teresa’s Seminary in Amisano from 1962 to 1969 and Saint Peter’s Regional Seminary in Pedu from 1969 to 1971.

On 20 July 1975 he was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Cape Coast.

He then continued his studies in Rome at the Pontifical Biblical Institute, where he obtained a licentiate in Sacred Scripture (1976-1980) and then began work on his doctorate (1987-1992). He also holds master’s degrees in theology and divinity from Saint Anthony-on-Hudson, Conventual Franciscan Seminary, New York.

He served on the staff of Saint Theresa’s Seminary in 1975-76 and 1980-1981, and on the staff of Saint Peter’s Seminary from 1981-1987. He was Acting Chaplain and Lecturer at the University of Cape Coast (1984-1986) and Visiting Lecturer at the Catholic Major Seminary, Anyama, Ivory Coast (1983-1986). He has been Chancellor of the Catholic University College of Ghana since 2003.

He was appointed Metropolitan Archbishop of Cape Coast on 6 October 1992 and was consecrated a bishop on 27 March 1993.

He was President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Ghana (1997-2004). He was a member of the Governing Council of the University of Ghana, Legon (2001-2006) and the Board of Directors of the Central Region Development Commission (CEDECOM) (2002-2006). He was Treasurer of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) (2007-2009) and Vice-President of the Association of Episcopal Conferences of Anglophone West Africa (AECAWA). He was President of the Regional Episcopal Conference of West Africa (RECOWA) (2007-2009).

He was also Chairman of the Ghana Chapter of the Conference of Religions for Peace (2003-2007) and of the Ghana National Peace Council (2006-2010).

He was General Relator of the Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops, “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’” (4-25 October 2009).

On 24 October 2009 he was appointed President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.

On 24 September 2013 he was confirmed as President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace by Pope Francis.

He has received numerous honorary degrees and speaks 6 languages (Fante, English, French, Italian, German, Hebrew).

He participated in the Conclave of April 2005 that elected Pope Benedict XVI and in the Conclave of March 2013 that elected Pope Francis.

On 31 August 2016 Cardinal Turkson was appointed Prefect of the new Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, instituted by the Holy Father Francis with his Apostolic Letter in the form of a Motu Proprio, Humanam progressionem, given in Rome at Saint Peter’s on 17 August 2016, with effect from 1 January 2017.

On 8 March 2018 the Holy Father Francis appointed Cardinal Turkson a member of the Pre-Synodal Council of the Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazonian Region.

Since 1 January 2022 he is the Prefect emeritus of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.

On 4 April 2022, the Holy Father Francis appointed Cardinal Turkson Chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences.

He was created and proclaimed Cardinal by the Holy Father John Paul II in the Consistory of 21 October 2003, and was assigned the titular church San Liborio.

Member of:

• Dicasteries: for the Doctrine of the Faith; for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments; for Evangelization; for Promoting Christian Unity.
• Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See.