I was raised Catholic — baptized, first communion, confession, Sunday mass every week. These days? Not so much. I’ve drifted into the agnostic lane. But I still consider myself deeply spiritual — in awe of the Universe, and of Nature, and passionate about our human condition.
When I heard about the Pope’s passing this morning, three thoughts popped into my head:
I just watched Conclave — great movie. Is the Vatican really going to go through that ancient ritual again?
Respect to Pope Francis. He still showed up for the Easter blessing from the balcony — one day before he left. Tough guy!
Who’s next? And will he be up to the job in this complicated world?
Whether you’re religious or not, 31% of the world identifies as Christian — and 84% of humanity believes in some form of higher power.
We talk a lot about leadership. Business leadership. Thought leadership. Political leadership.
But spiritual leadership? Maybe we don’t talk about it enough.
Here’s my hope:
These are confusing times. Populism, outrage, simple answers to complex problems. That’s not leadership. That’s performance.
Real leadership — whether it’s in religion, business, or society — demands three things:
Courage in action.
Clarity amidst complexity.
Decency in values.
Let’s hope the next Pope — and all our leaders — have all three.
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I think there's a great lack of clarity now. I also really value courage and decency. But I think (I feel), we don't know which problems we are really and exactly solving today. We are continiously producing "solutions" for a desired better future. But will be this future better in real. And how, concretely.