The other day, this commentator lauded Pope Francis for his visit to Tehran. He spoke frankly with the Iranian ayatollahs. He brought a message of peace and hope. And today, we learned of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith turning thumbs down on the approval of blessings for same-sex marriage. That is a ‘win one, lose one’ for the Roman Church.
You would hope that a well-intentioned person such as Pope Francis could drag the Vatican out of the depths of the 17th Century. It should not matter to an atheist such as I, but it does. There are still a sizeable number of Roman adherents in the world. And many of them listen to the narrow-minded dictates from the Vatican.
It was like during the Trump interregnum in the United States. Trump was there in plain sight but his supporters were the puzzle we needed to understand. He gave them targets for their bitterness. He endorsed their bigotry. He spilled bile a plenty to please them. He is a bitter man.
What is happening in our society is caused by the lack of positive leaders. In a liberal society, how can we stomach the folly of conservativism. In a society demanding progress and enlightenment, we are beset by the meanness and stinginess of the right wing of politics and churches and our neighbours.
And yet, we have the proof of the liberalism, generosity and charity of our society. We know that people care, despite the demands and crushing depression of the pandemic. We also saw that it was the church leaders who complained about being separated from their parishioners. We did what we could to support the small business owners crushed under the ups and downs of lock-downs. The churches will probably survive.
But if churches want to attract or even just keep the parishioners, they now have, they need to show leadership. They need to look forward, not back. Whether you think you speak for Allah, for a God, or a Guru, you have to recognize the needs of people before you preach your sermon. You need to build a strong connection.
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Copyright 2021 © Peter Lowry
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