Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, Chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and Social Sciences at the Vatican, has called on prophets and members of the clergy to seek God’s guidance through prayer before making public any prophecy, particularly those predicting tragedy or national distress.

His advice comes in the wake of a new directive from the Presidential Envoy for the Interfaith and Ecumenical Relations Office, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, instructing that any prophecy or spiritual revelation involving high-profile political leaders, governance, national security, or public stability be formally submitted for urgent review.

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

Speaking to Citi FM on Wednesday, August 13, during a press briefing ahead of the August 22 inauguration of the John Kofi Turkson Memorial Institute in the Central Region, an institution named in honour of his late brother, who died in the 2000 Kenya Airways Flight 431 crash in Abidjan, Cardinal Turkson stressed the moral obligation of spiritual leaders to act responsibly with revelations of a sensitive nature.

“If a prophecy reveals the likelihood of disaster, the first response should be to intercede with God before making any announcement,” he advised.

Citing scripture, he continued: “When God revealed to Abraham His intention to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham pleaded for mercy. In the same way, if God entrusts you with such knowledge, you must pray first and seek His intervention.”

The Cardinal also warned against the temptation to use prophecy as a means of asserting spiritual influence, noting that defining a “credible prophet” remains complex and subjective.

“It is easy to say, ‘listen only to credible prophets,’ but who determines credibility, and by what measure? Whenever a prophecy is received, examine it carefully. If it requires intervention, act on that before sharing it publicly,” he counselled.