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The Archbishop emeritus of Cape Coast, Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, has been appointed head of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences.
The appointment of Cardinal Turkson was made by Pope Francis on Monday, April 4, 2022.
The 73-year-old Cardinal Turkson succeeds Argentine Bishop, Marcelo Sánchez Sorondo, who has led both institutions since 1998.
Prior to the appointment, Pope Francis, in 2021, accepted Cardinal Turkson’s resignation as prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.
The first and only Ghanaian Cardinal of the Catholic Church, Cardinal Turkson who speaks six languages was called to Rome in 2009 to be president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.
He was made president of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development in 2016 after his pontifical council was merged into the new body along with three others.
Cardinal Turkson’s resignation in 2021 left the Vatican with no African leader amongst its head of dicasteries for the first time since 1977.
The Pontifical Academies of Social Sciences and of Sciences have their headquarters inside the Vatican in the Casina Pio IV and forms part of 10 Pontifical Academies operated by the Holy See to study and promote events on various subjects that are of interest to the Vatican.
Established in 1994 by Pope St. John Paul II, the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences is to promote “the study and progress of the social sciences, primarily economics, sociology, law and political science.”
The Pontifical Academy of Sciences also founded in 1603, was the first exclusively scientific academy in the world at the time.
