Richard Cardinal Kuuia Baawobr, the Catholic Bishop of Wa is speedily responding to treatment at Santo Spirito Hospital in Rome.
The Director of Communications at the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Rev. Fr. Dieu-Donne Kofi Davor confirmed to Citi News that His Eminence Baawobr arrived in Rome last Wednesday morning for his investiture into the College of Cardinals, but took ill with renewed heart conditions.
A Friday, August 26, communication issued by Secretary General of the Missionaries of Africa, André-L Simonart, and sighted by Citi News also said His Eminence had been hospitalised at the Cardiology Department of the Hospital with Doctors ruling out the possibility of his attendance at the investiture.
Rev. Fr. Davor however confirmed to Citi News that Cardinal Baawobr is stable.
“Cardinal Baawobr is doing well. The latest update I got on him [shows] he’s in good spirit, he’s recovering [and] he needs some level of rest to be able to get better. So he is fine, he is in high spirit, he’s doing well.”
The Bishops’ Director of Communications also assured that the Cardinal’s absence from last Saturday’s consistory (investiture ceremony) takes nothing away from the election.
“His hospitalization didn’t affect it in any way. The process of the creation only has to do more or less with the investiture with the red hat. He wasn’t there to receive it, but his name was mentioned among the new Cardinals to be created. The only thing he missed was that he wasn’t there to receive his red hat directly from the Holy Father, but he is a Cardinal.”
Consequently, the itinerary of Cardinal Baawobr is presently uncertain, as it remains unclear when he will be back in the country.
The Communications Directorate of the Bishops’ Conference also confirmed that the Cardinal was originally expected back in on September 15, with his thanksgiving Mass scheduled for September 24.
His Eminence Baawobr is the 3rd Ghanaian to be elected to the College of Cardinals of the Holy Catholic Church.
He was among twenty-one (21) new Cardinals created on Saturday, August 27, Consistory, with two of them coming from Africa including Nigeria’s Bishop Peter Ebere Okpaleke (Ekwulobia Diocese).
Being the only Richard among Peters, His Eminence comes after Peter Cardinal Appiah Turkson, then Archbishop of Cape Coast, and Peter Cardinal Pourekuu Dery (deceased) then Archbishop Emeritus of Tamale.
In February 2016, His Eminence Baawobr was appointed the 4th Bishop of Wa, taking over from His Lordship Paul Bemile. This was after he had served six (6) years as Superior General of the Missionaries of Africa (White Fathers) from May 2010.
He is the first African to occupy the Office.
Shortly after his announced elevation to the Office of Cardinal in August, His Eminence was elected President of the Symposium of Episcopal Conference of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) at its 19th Plenary held in Accra.
The continental body is composed of eight (8) regional conferences, and Cardinal Baawobr is the first Ghanaian to serve as its President.
He replaces Philippe Cardinal Ouedraogo Nakellentuba, Metropolitan Archbishop of Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso).
At age 63, Richard Cardinal Kuuia Baawobr is eligible to vote in the next conclave that will elect a new Pope when the need arises.