In an expression of faith and national pride, Ghanaians in Rome and their friends from across the world gathered on Sunday, March 8, for a solemn Thanksgiving Mass presided over by His Eminence Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, Ghana’s most senior Prince of the Church and Chancellor of the Pontifical Academies of Sciences and Social Sciences.
The Mass, which drew a large and fervent congregation at a church in Rome, was a visible testament to the vibrancy of Ghana’s Catholic community in the Eternal City. Among those present was H.E. Sir Benedict Batabe Assorow, Ghana’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Holy See, accompanied by members of his diplomatic mission.
Cardinal Turkson, who was born in Wassa Nsuta in Western Ghana on October 11, 1948 and ordained to the priesthood in 1975, has served the Church in a variety of distinguished roles over five decades — including as Archbishop of Cape Coast, President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, and inaugural Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. He was created Cardinal by Pope John Paul II in October 2003, becoming the second Ghanaian ever to receive that honour.
“Thanksgiving invites us to enter into ourselves, to reflect, to reset, and to renew.” — Cardinal Turkson
The Ambassador, who himself has deep roots in Catholic media — having served as Managing Editor of The Catholic Standard for some years and as Executive Secretary of the Department of Communications of the Catholic Church in Ghana for more than two decades — was visibly moved by the occasion.
Ambassador Assorow, who presented his Letters of Credence to Pope Leo XIV in November 2025, has since thrown himself into the task of deepening Ghana–Holy See relations and advancing the welfare of Ghanaians resident in Italy. Also present was H.E. Mrs. Mona-Helen Kabuki Quartey, Ghana’s Ambassador to the Italian Republic. Her attendance at the Mass underscored the spirit of collegiality and shared national purpose that now characterises Ghana’s diplomatic presence in Italy.
In homilies and public addresses in recent months, Cardinal Turkson has consistently emphasised that true thanksgiving is inseparable from self-examination and national renewal. Speaking at Ghana’s National Day of Prayer and Thanksgiving last year, he drew on his knowledge of Hebrew to illuminate the deeper spiritual dimensions of gratitude, noting that giving thanks also entails an honest reckoning with one’s shortcomings.
Diplomatic relations between Ghana and the Holy See were formally established in 1975, and Ghana appointed its first Resident Ambassador to the Vatican in 2013. In November 2025, Pope Leo XIV received Ambassador Assorow in a private audience at the Apostolic Palace, affirming the long-standing and mutually enriching bonds between the two parties, and expressing openness to a future visit to Ghana. The Sunday Mass in Rome thus falls within a season of renewed momentum in Ghana–Vatican engagement.
Cardinal Turkson, who participated in the papal conclaves of 2005, 2013, and 2025, remains one of the most prominent African voices in the global Church. Fluent in English, Fante, French, Italian, German, and Hebrew, he has consistently championed the integral human development of all peoples and the centrality of peace and justice in Catholic social teaching.
For the Ghanaian faithful gathered in Rome on Sunday, the Thanksgiving Mass was more than a liturgical celebration; it was a reaffirmation of their identity, their faith, and their connection to the Universal Church — led by a son of Ghanaian soil who has spent his priestly life placing that faith at the service of humanity.
