The Chancellor of the Pontifical Academies of Sciences and Social Sciences at the Vatican, His Eminence Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, has admonished President Akufo-Addo, Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, and former President John Dramani Mahama to draw inspiration from their interactions with Pope Francis.
The revered man of God urged them to reflect on the interactions they had with the Pope when they visited him.
He advised them to allow these visits and experiences they had to shape their thoughts as Ghana approaches the December 7 polls.
He said this while addressing attendees at the IDEG High-Level Forum 2024 on Thursday, October 10, 2024.
He specially asked Dr. Bawumia and Mr. Mahama to let Pope Francis’s lessons guide their conduct.
He said the Pope possesses exceptional qualities, values, and virtues and prioritises peace, respect for human dignity, and the well-being of the human person while rejecting conflict and hatred.
These values he stressed must be seen in the two key candidates in the upcoming general elections.
He also proposed a leadership style that prioritises the common good and the values of compassion, empathy, and understanding.
“The three protagonists, the three leaders [Akufo-Addo, Bawumia and Mahama], they visited Pope Francis, and they are the ones I’m inviting to come away with some of the values and virtues they experienced from their engagements with the Pope.
“And it’s one of peace, it’s one of respect for the dignity of a human person. It’s one of not putting any institutional structure over the dignity of any human person. But putting the human person first. It’s one therefore of cordial relationship and harmony and not one of conflict and hatred.
“I want to invite the protagonist, our going President [Akufo-Addo] and the two incoming Presidents to just take the cue, draw some lessons they drew from their visits to Pope Francis and make that influence their conduct. And the leadership of their parties, just as the leadership of the country, whomever, it pleases God to place over this land.”
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana