Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of prominent African cardinal, Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, who was a key adviser on climate change and social justice, as part of a rare shake-up of an entire Vatican office.

According to a Daily Graphic report, the Vatican said on Thursday, December 23, 2021, that Cardinal Peter Turkson, was leaving the large department, officially known as the Dicastery for Integral Human Development. All other superiors also had offered their resignations.

Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson offered an abrupt resignation to the church in Vatican following his displeasure with internal wrangling issues.

Cardinal Appiah Turkson until his resignation, headed the Dicastery for Integral Human Development which was formed in 2016 to amalgamate four offices that dealt with issues such as peace, justice, migration, and charities.

His eventual departure will leave no African heading any large Vatican department as his fellow African, Cardinal Robert Sarah of Guinea, who was the head of the Congregation for Worship at the Vatican, went into retirement earlier this year.

The department headed by Cardinal Appiah Turkson was in recent times subjected to an external review headed by Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago at the behest of Pope Francis.

Cardinal Appiah Turkson’s offer to resign follows two high-level departures from the department over the summer; one because of retirement and another sudden and unexplained, Reuters report.

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.