Chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and Social Sciences at the Vatican, His Eminence Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, has called on the clergy and prophets to seek divine intervention before making public any prophecy, especially those foretelling disaster.

Cardinal Turkson’s advice follows a recent directive from the Presidential Envoy for the Interfaith and Ecumenical Relations Office, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, requiring that any prophecy or spiritual revelation involving high-profile political leaders, governance, national security, or public stability be submitted for urgent assessment.

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

Speaking to Citi News on Wednesday, August 13, ahead of the inauguration of the John Kofi Turkson Memorial Institute on August 22, in the Central Region, 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,” he added.

He also warned against using prophecies to assert spiritual authority, saying: “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.

AS/VPO