Pray before announcing prophecies – Cardinal Appiah Turkson to Prophets

His Eminence Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, Chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and Social Sciences at the Vatican, has advised the clergy and prophets to pray and intercede before making public any prophecy, particularly those predicting disaster.

His counsel comes after a directive from the Presidential Envoy for the Interfaith and Ecumenical Relations Office, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, instructing that any prophecy or spiritual insight involving high-profile political leaders, governance, national security, or public stability be formally submitted for urgent assessment.

The directive, issued on Sunday, August 10, follows viral social media videos in the aftermath of the August 6 helicopter crash, which claimed eight lives, including two cabinet ministers.

Speaking to Citi News on Wednesday, August 13, on the sidelines of a press conference ahead of the August 22 inauguration of the John Kofi Turkson Memorial Institute in the Central Region—named after his late brother, who died in the 2000 Kenya Airways Flight 431 crash in Abidjan—Cardinal Turkson stressed the importance of spiritual responsibility.

“If a prophecy reveals the possibility of disaster, your first act should be to intercede with God before announcing it,” he said.

“When God shared with Abraham His intent to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham pleaded for mercy. Likewise, if God shares such knowledge with you, pray first and ask for His intervention.”

The Cardinal also warned against using prophecies to assert spiritual authority, noting that measuring a prophet’s credibility remains complex and subjective.

“It is interesting when people advise others to listen only to credible prophets, but who defines credibility, and by what criteria? These are questions that need answers. In any case, wherever prophecies occur and God makes His knowledge known to you, consider the content carefully. If it requires intervention, please do that before communicating it to anyone,” he added.

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