A top Cardinal has handed in his resignation after he was seen by many as a strong candidate for the first African Pope in 1,500 years.
Sources familiar with the development said on Saturday that Cardinal Peter Turkson was head of a key department in the Vatican.
73-year-old Turkson from Ghana has been a key adviser to Pope Francis on issues such as climate change and social justice.
Reuters reports that he is the only African to head a Vatican department known as the Dicastery for Integral Human Development.
It was formed in 2016 to merge four offices that dealt with issues such as peace, justice, migration and charities.
A Vatican sourse who spoke on condition of anonymity said that the Pope is yet to decide whether to accept the resignation or not.
Reports say that Turkson who is about 2 years shy of the mandatory retirement age of 75 for bishops had become “fed up” with internal disputes.
Further reports said that Turkson promised staff to say more after the Pope had made his decision.
His departure leaves the Vatican with no African heading a major department, following the retirement of Cardinal Robert Sarah of Guinea earlier this year.
Turkson’s department underwent an external review headed by Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago at the Pope’s request earlier this year.
His offer to resign follows two high-level departures from the department over the summer, one because of retirement and another sudden and unexplained.
The Catholic Church had several Popes of North African origin early in its history, the last being in the 5th century.
Even if he leaves his Vatican post, until he turns 80, Turkson would still be eligible to enter a conclave of cardinals to elect the next Pope after Francis dies or retires, according to church rules.
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