The new president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace has expressed sadness with the declining number of missionaries in Europe and North America following new data released by the Vatican earlier in the week.
Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson of Ghana told the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano that the Church in Africa laments the loss of faith in Europe and North America, from which missionaries had once left to preach the Gospel, CISA news agency reported.Cardinal Turkson added that African bishops believe they must support the Church in Europe and North America and send priests to prevent parish closings in the West in “filial mercy” towards their “ancestors in the faith.
The Ghanaian Cardinal also denounced “toxic elements of foreign cultures such as relativism and atheistic secularism” that are plaguing Africa.
Cardinal Turkson decried political corruption and environmental degradation.
He expressed concern that the introduction of genetically modified seeds, while “slightly” increasing crop yields, would make African farmers dependent upon the will of multinational corporations.