Cardinal Turkson Keynote Address
November 3, 2015
Mission Church
Thank you, David, for that introduction. Welcome to all of you here in the Mission Church. We have the great pleasure today of hearing from one of the most influential voices in the Church on the environment and a chief contributor of the encyclical, "Laudato Si'".
I shall begin with a summary of his many accomplishments. Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson of Ghana was ordained a priest in 1975 for the Archdiocese of Cape Coast, Ghana, and was ordained an archbishop in 1993. He earned advanced degrees from the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome and from St. Anthony-on-Hudson, the Conventual Franciscan Seminary in New York. In the world of higher education, he has held positions at University of Cape Coast, the Catholic Major Seminary, and Catholic University College of Ghana.
Cardinal Turkson has served in many capacities, including General Relator of the 2nd Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops, president of the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference, and president of the Regional Episcopal Conference of West Africa. He currently holds appointments in the Vatican that include the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Congregation for Catholic Education, Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, the Ordinary Council of the Secretariat General of the Synod of Bishops; and the Special Council for Africa of the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops. He also serves as president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. Earlier, he worked for justice and peace as the chair of the Ghana Chapter of the Conference of Religions for Peace and the Ghana National Peace Council.
This afternoon I not only have the pleasure of introducing Cardinal Turkson, I also have the honor of bestowing on him the University’s highest honor, the St. Clare Award.
Cardinal Turkson: With a prophetic voice you have helped the world community understand that care of the earth is a matter of justice. You note that behaviors and lifestyles that negatively impact the earth also diminish the lives of our neighbors, particularly the poor. Since Laudato Si’, you have urged religious leaders, business people, politicians, and local communities to take up the Pope’s call for action. With great intellect and pastoral care, you have articulated a hopeful, global vision of what peace can look like.
You reiterated the Pope’s propositions that real change only occurs through dialogue, and mobilization from below is essential in effecting that change. Your call, and the Pope’s, is an urgent a call to grassroots efforts in local communities and to government leaders.
Here at Santa Clara University, we are taking up your plea to effect change in matters of environmental justice. Our conference is an academic and grassroots approach to talk about how we understand the challenge, and how we might foster change in Silicon Valley to better serve the common good.
Your Eminence, Cardinal Turkson: for your tireless work on the environment, for your joy-filled way of proceeding, and for giving voice to the poor who suffer most from environmental degradation, on behalf of Santa Clara University, I bestow on you the St. Clare Award.