Bilgrimage: Characteristics of Good Leaders: Mary McLeod Bethune as Mentor to Barack Obama
Carl
· 11 months ago
William:
You really nailed it with #6. Integrity is the quality that seperates true leadership from dictatorial fascism. It is a quality that the most effective priests display as they successfully lead their parishes. It is a quality that is conspicuously absent in the higher levels of ecclestical administrations, as well as all government administrations. If there has to be one cause for the current problems that are facing our global culture, it is lack of integrity. Lack of integrity is at the source of ALL evil.
Reading some of the history on JP1, it is clear that JP1 was committed to restoring integrity into the leadership of the catholic church. As is so often the case throughout our history and the history of the world, those who built their "empires" on inauthenticity and lack of integrity responded with violence to those who would bring their actions into the light of public revelation and acccountability. There is no doubt in my mind that JP1 was murdered, and that the murder was orchestrated and assisted by members of the Vatican leadership to preserve their individual fiefdoms.
For those who will respond otherwise, one simple question: How can a pope be murdered in his room in the middle of Vatican city under the highly intense security that is present, unless it is assisted and orchestrated by someone on the inside. To find out who, simply follow the path of who stood to loose the most had he continued, and who stood to gain the most by his murder. All fingers point to members of the upper levels of the vatican administration.
Eventually, the evidence and the truth will be revealed. it always is.
I dont know why, but yesterday I was guided to scripture concerning the unpardonable sin. As I studied these scriputures and related commentaries, one thing kept resurfacing ... the leadership of the catholic church, individually and as a whole has violated all of the tenants that are associated with the unpardonable sin.
As a result, I have reached the conclusion that there is no longer any hope of reconciliation for the vast majority of them, nor for the vast majority of the faithful orthodox who so fervently support them. Once the unpardonable sin is committed, according to scriptures, there is no turning back. The only hope for them is a speedy demise so that they will create the minimal amount of suffering for those of us who remain faithful to christs teachings.
I am in the process of writing a thread for NCR titled Sins of the "Fathers" addressing this issue from a scriptural perspective and drawing together evidence to show which members of the bishopric are guilty. What I have collected so far is not pretty.
In one of her posts Colleen commented on how wonderful the internet really is in its ability to keep massive amounts of relevant infomation available to the public. One of the blessings of the internet is that it removes all need so speculate on motives. The actions of every public figure are available for everyone to see. Secrecy is a fleeting illusion that no long will protect those who wish to hide their personal agendas.
WDL
· 11 months ago
Carl, thank you for a wonderful comment. I completely agree: without integrity, leaders lose the ability to lead. Integrity assures that there is a fundamental consistency between what a leader says, and what she does. It assures that the values a leader proclaims are also the ones she embodies, lives by, and puts into practice as a leader.
And I agree that far too many of our church leaders lack integrity in very shocking ways. For me, how the leadership of the Catholic Church has handled the crisis of clerical sexual abuse of minors has been an ah-ha moment. I already knew the clerical corruption at the top in my bones. I had already taken blows from church leaders, as a theologian, before all the behind-the-scenes news hit.
But once that news came along and the veil was pulled back to show us what has been going on behind the scenes in bishops' palaces and the Vatican, I don't see how we can do anything but call for integrity--call on church leaders to stop lying about their actions in protecting priests and bullying victims; call on them to live values of practical compassion in reaching out to victims.
All Comments
You really nailed it with #6. Integrity is the quality that seperates true leadership from dictatorial fascism. It is a quality that the most effective priests display as they successfully lead their parishes. It is a quality that is conspicuously absent in the higher levels of ecclestical administrations, as well as all government administrations. If there has to be one cause for the current problems that are facing our global culture, it is lack of integrity. Lack of integrity is at the source of ALL evil.
Reading some of the history on JP1, it is clear that JP1 was committed to restoring integrity into the leadership of the catholic church. As is so often the case throughout our history and the history of the world, those who built their "empires" on inauthenticity and lack of integrity responded with violence to those who would bring their actions into the light of public revelation and acccountability. There is no doubt in my mind that JP1 was murdered, and that the murder was orchestrated and assisted by members of the Vatican leadership to preserve their individual fiefdoms.
For those who will respond otherwise, one simple question: How can a pope be murdered in his room in the middle of Vatican city under the highly intense security that is present, unless it is assisted and orchestrated by someone on the inside. To find out who, simply follow the path of who stood to loose the most had he continued, and who stood to gain the most by his murder. All fingers point to members of the upper levels of the vatican administration.
Eventually, the evidence and the truth will be revealed. it always is.
I dont know why, but yesterday I was guided to scripture concerning the unpardonable sin. As I studied these scriputures and related commentaries, one thing kept resurfacing ... the leadership of the catholic church, individually and as a whole has violated all of the tenants that are associated with the unpardonable sin.
As a result, I have reached the conclusion that there is no longer any hope of reconciliation for the vast majority of them, nor for the vast majority of the faithful orthodox who so fervently support them. Once the unpardonable sin is committed, according to scriptures, there is no turning back. The only hope for them is a speedy demise so that they will create the minimal amount of suffering for those of us who remain faithful to christs teachings.
I am in the process of writing a thread for NCR titled Sins of the "Fathers" addressing this issue from a scriptural perspective and drawing together evidence to show which members of the bishopric are guilty. What I have collected so far is not pretty.
In one of her posts Colleen commented on how wonderful the internet really is in its ability to keep massive amounts of relevant infomation available to the public. One of the blessings of the internet is that it removes all need so speculate on motives. The actions of every public figure are available for everyone to see. Secrecy is a fleeting illusion that no long will protect those who wish to hide their personal agendas.
And I agree that far too many of our church leaders lack integrity in very shocking ways. For me, how the leadership of the Catholic Church has handled the crisis of clerical sexual abuse of minors has been an ah-ha moment. I already knew the clerical corruption at the top in my bones. I had already taken blows from church leaders, as a theologian, before all the behind-the-scenes news hit.
But once that news came along and the veil was pulled back to show us what has been going on behind the scenes in bishops' palaces and the Vatican, I don't see how we can do anything but call for integrity--call on church leaders to stop lying about their actions in protecting priests and bullying victims; call on them to live values of practical compassion in reaching out to victims.
There's much work to do!