Peter Turkson: the public face of Pope Francis's war on global warming

Ghanian cardinal who unveiled the encyclical on climate change is vital to the pope's vision of an outward-engaging church acting for the poor

When Pope Francis decided after his election in 2013 that he wanted to transform the Catholic church's teaching on ecology and equality - and put a call for environmental action at the heart of his papacy - Peter Turkson might not have been considered the best candidate to lead the mission.

Although the Ghanaian cardinal was seen as affable and charismatic, his judgment had been called into question a year earlier when he aired an alarmist YouTube video about Islam during a Vatican meeting of bishops. The video, called Muslim Demographics, was criticised as "fear-mongering" and "propaganda" by Vatican Radio. Even the Vatican spokesman distanced himself from the clip, saying it did not represent the bishops' views.