Cardinal Peter Turkson, seen by some as a candidate to become the first African pope in about 1,500 years, has abruptly offered his resignation from a key Vatican department, sources familiar with the matter said on Saturday. According to the Vatican sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the pope has yet to decide whether to accept the resignation or not. Turkson heads a large Vatican department known as the Dicastery for Integral Human Development. His departure would leave the Vatican with no African heading a major department, following the retirement of Cardinal Robert Sarah of Guinea earlier this year. The Catholic Church had several popes of North African origin early in its history, the last in the 5th century.

Source: Ethiopian News December 19, 2021 17:52 UTC