Pope Francis has been hospitalized since February 14th, and although the Vatican has reported that he has shown improvement in recent days, his health condition remains delicate. Amidst his medical situation, the curious have highlighted a rare prophecy by Nostradamus, a 16th-century French astrologer, who supposedly predicted the death of the Pontiff and the arrival of his successor: a ‘Black Pope,’ who will be the last before the end of the world. This has put Peter Turkson, a 76-year-old cardinal from Ghana, in the spotlight as one of the favorites to replace him.
Pope Francis, whose real name is Jorge Bergoglio, has occupied the Chair of Saint Peter since 2013, following the resignation of Benedict XVI. Currently, he presents a case of bilateral pneumonia with renal insufficiency, but he was admitted to the hospital with bronchitis. The Vatican assures that he is already breathing better and is progressing positively, despite his 88 years.
The world is in anticipation of who might succeed Francisco in the event of his death. The eligible cardinals are those who are under 80 years old. In February 2025, there were 138 who could be chosen, and among them, there are several favorites, one being the African cardinal Peter Turkson.
Due to Turkson’s dark skin, believers in Nostradamus do not rule out that he could be the ‘black Pope’, to whom he refers in his book ‘Las profecías’, published in 1555.
“By the death of a very old pontiff, a Roman of good age will be elected, who will be said to weaken his see, but for a long time he will sit and be in trenchant activity… The Roman pontiff will not be elected, neither near nor far will attention be paid to him. “A dark-skinned young man with the help of the great king will hand the bag to another red-skinned one,” wrote Nostradamus.
Who is Peter Turkson?
According to information from Wikipedia, Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, better known as Peter Turkson, was born in Wassaw Nsuta, Western Region of Ghana, on October 11, 1948. He is currently the chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences.
His mother was Methodist and father Catholic. He studied at the St. Teresa Seminary in the village of Amisano and Pedu before attending the St. Anthony-on-Hudson Seminary in Rensselaer, New York, where he earned a Master’s degree in Theology.
Peter Turkson studied at the St. Teresa’s Minor Seminary in Amisano between 1962 and 1969; also at the St. Peter’s Regional Seminary in Pedu between 1969 and 1971. He studied theology at “St. Anthony-on-Hudson” Seminary in Rensselaer, New York, from 1971 to 1975. His postgraduate studies were in Rome with a specialization in the Sacred Scriptures at the Pontifical Biblical Institute from 1976 to 1980, where he earned his licentiate. From 1987 to 1992, he obtained his doctorate.
Cardinal Turkson speaks six languages: Fante (native language), English, French, German, Italian, and Hebrew.
Archbishop John Amissah ordained him as a priest on July 20, 1975. He was a professor at the Santa Teresa Minor Seminary, of Sacred Scriptures, and Vice-Rector of the San Pedro Major Seminary, while simultaneously working as a lecturer in the Faculty of Religions at the University of Cape Coast, where he was also an assistant chaplain. From 1983 to 1986, he was a visiting professor at the Anyama Major Seminary in Abidjan.
Pope John Paul II ordained him as Archbishop of Cape Coast on October 6, 1992, and he received episcopal ordination on March 27, 1993. On October 21, 2003, John Paul II appointed him cardinal, with the title of San Liborio, becoming the first Ghanaian cardinal.