I had the distinct honor of participating in a conference celebrating fifty years of Vatican II in Africa held at Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Even though I presented a paper that was well received at the conference, one of the highlights for me was the time I spent with Cardinal Turkson, who is currently the President of the Pontifical Council for Peace and Justice and Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Coast, Ghana. He graced the occasion with a presentation on what the Roman Catholic Church is doing concerning issues of peace and justice around the world, with particular emphasis on Africa.
My interest here is not so much in the paper he presented as in his demeanor. He was very jovial and interacted with all of us with extreme humility and simplicity. I stayed in the same house and rode to the airport in the same car as the Cardinal. While we were leaving the house for the car to head for the airport, one of the priests carried the Cardinal's bag and the Cardinal had only his file in his left hand. I had two bags. When the Cardinal saw that I was carrying two bags, he offered to help me carry one of my bags. I thanked him but said no. Then, when it came time for us to enter the car, the Cardinal asked me whether I preferred to sit in the front or the back of the car. I told him that he should make the choice. He sat in the front. When we arrived at the airport, the Cardinal wanted the priest who had taken us to the airport to just drop us off in front of the departure terminal so as not to suffer the incovenience of having to find a parking spot. But the priest said no. He looked for a place to park and then helped us into where we were supposed to check in. The Cardinal went first class and I went coach. During the time I spent with him I saw an amazing form of simplicity that I hardly see with Africa's big men. He gave me hope that the church may be a sight for the transformation of our continent. He embodied one of the points he made in his presentation: that the church is focusing on raising transformative leaders for the continent. I saw the possibility of such transformation in his own person. Perhaps he would be different if he were a government minister rather than a minister of the church. That, I do not know.
My interest here is not so much in the paper he presented as in his demeanor. He was very jovial and interacted with all of us with extreme humility and simplicity. I stayed in the same house and rode to the airport in the same car as the Cardinal. While we were leaving the house for the car to head for the airport, one of the priests carried the Cardinal's bag and the Cardinal had only his file in his left hand. I had two bags. When the Cardinal saw that I was carrying two bags, he offered to help me carry one of my bags. I thanked him but said no. Then, when it came time for us to enter the car, the Cardinal asked me whether I preferred to sit in the front or the back of the car. I told him that he should make the choice. He sat in the front. When we arrived at the airport, the Cardinal wanted the priest who had taken us to the airport to just drop us off in front of the departure terminal so as not to suffer the incovenience of having to find a parking spot. But the priest said no. He looked for a place to park and then helped us into where we were supposed to check in. The Cardinal went first class and I went coach. During the time I spent with him I saw an amazing form of simplicity that I hardly see with Africa's big men. He gave me hope that the church may be a sight for the transformation of our continent. He embodied one of the points he made in his presentation: that the church is focusing on raising transformative leaders for the continent. I saw the possibility of such transformation in his own person. Perhaps he would be different if he were a government minister rather than a minister of the church. That, I do not know.
Yours truly is on the left of the picture. The Cardinal is second to my left
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