ROME
Malta Independent
Saturday, 09 March 2013
by Laura Burke, Associated Press
Often cast as the social conscience of the church, Ghana’s Cardinal Peter Turkson is viewed by many as the top African contender for pope.
The 64-year-old head of the Vatican’s peace and justice office was widely credited with helping to avert violence following contested Ghanaian elections. He has aggressively fought African poverty, while disappointing many by hewing to the church’s conservative line on condom use amid Africa’s AIDS epidemic.
Turkson’s reputation as a man of peace took a hit recently when he showed a virulently anti-Islamic video, a move now seen as hurting his papal prospects. Observers say those prospects sank further when he broke a taboo against public jockeying for the papacy — telling The Associated Press the day after Benedict XVI’s resignation announcement that he’s up for the job “if it’s the will of God.”
Speculation about the possibility of a pope from the developing world has swirled for years as the church’s growth has moved south. In Africa, between 1978 and 2007, the number of Catholics grew from 55 million to 146 million. Latin America counts 40 percent of the world’s Catholics. In contrast, Catholic communities in Europe are in decline.
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