麻豆社

Good Morning.

When Pope Francis and the President of Ukraine met this weekend, one subject was, I trust, off the agenda. Unlike Volodymyr Zelensky鈥檚 meetings with other world leaders, I doubt that the Pontiff was asked to supply tanks, fighter planes or other heavy artillery. Almost 80 years ago, Joseph Stalin allegedly quipped, in response to a suggestion that the papacy might play a role in the post war settlement, 鈥淭he Pope? How many divisions does he have on the battlefield鈥�. The spiritual leader of the Catholic Church was, in Stalin鈥檚 view, a nobody.

True authority is however, not to be confused with coercive power.

Last month, I travelled to Rome with a group of Greater Manchester鈥檚 religious and civic leaders. Like President Zelensky, we too had been granted a private audience with Pope Francis. Together we represented Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu and Sikh communities. We came to talk about the work we are doing to tackle climate change in our city region, and our ambitious goal of being carbon net zero by 2038. Diverse though our religious traditions may be, they unite in speaking of our responsibility to care for creation. We came to Rome because, although we lack formal power to achieve our ambitions, we want to exercise moral leadership, and saw in Pope Francis one who was already doing so.

Distinguishing power and leadership matters deeply. The Christian gospels tell how Jesus, a carpenter鈥檚 son with no formal education, spoke with an authority that people immediately recognised, a sharp contrast from those they knew who held formal positions and powers. We ascribe moral leadership to those in whom we find it, it can never be grabbed. We may disagree, perhaps profoundly, as to who possesses it, and may find it in unexpected people. On the surface, it can be confused with the personal charisma exercised by leaders of religious cults, or charming populist politicians. But for me, authentic moral leadership and authority cannot exist apart from integrity and humility. These are the soil within which it takes root and grows, often long years before any flower blooms. Those who wish to lead must seek these virtues more than they yearn for success.

After years as a professional actor, Ukraine鈥檚 Volodymyr Zelensky no doubt knows how to create a desired response. His simple clothing and straightforward speech could be the appurtenances of a skilled performer. Yet many, including me, sense an authenticity. Here is a leader who appears to live close to his people in their struggles. His conversation with Pope Francis may not have bought him guns or ammunition, but if it has strengthened his moral courage, in the same way that our Manchester group found, it will prove well worth the time and effort.

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