By Paschal Norbert
ACCRA, JANUARY 14,2022 (CISA)-Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson has rallied the Catholic faithful to get vaccinated against Covid-19, saying the vaccines are fruits of research and science, and that people should not cast doubt on their efficacy.
“Scientifically, the vaccines are protecting people against COVID. We’ve trusted science and research in several other areas. The tools we use and the medication we use among others are all the fruits of research and science. So let’s not develop distrust of the vaccines,” said Cardinal Turkson in an interview on Asaase Radio on The Asaase Breakfast Show, on January 12.
The Ghanaian cardinal is adamant that the vaccines are good for the people. He opines that vaccines continue to reduce a person‘s risk of contracting Covid-19 and are highly effective against the virus.
“We can be rest assured about the vaccine safety and security and they are the most effective treatment or way of dealing with the disease. We’ll recommend the use of it. The thing is to stay alive first and then we look at the issues that flow from that,” he added.
Cardinal Turkson is the immediate former prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. He resigned from his position in late 2021 upon the end of his five-year mandate at the Vatican department.
His resignation from the focal Dicastery, which was formed in August 2016, by Pope Francis after a merger of four pre-existing Pontifical Councils, leaves the Vatican with no African at the helm of any major department, after the retirement of Robert Cardinal Sarah, a Guinean prelate, on February 20, 2021. Cardinal Sarah is the Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.
