Lessons from Obama & Benedict XVI

In his book In Charge, Dr Myles Munroe poignantly commented: “Nothing happens without leadership. Nothing changes without leadership. Nothing improves without leadership. Nothing is corrected without leadership”.

Readers will no doubt agree that our attention has been drawn to the importance of leadership by some key events that took place in the past 12 months: Thabo Mbeki’s defeat in the race for the ANC presidency at Polokwane; his subsequent recalling from the office of the president; the elections in Zimbabwe and the signing of what initially appeared to be a historic agreement between Zanu-PF and the two MDC Formations; the emergence of the Congress of the People (Cope) on the South African political landscape; and the election of Barack Obama to the highest office in the most powerful nation on earth.

This year has also confirmed to some of us that the man we initially feared would drag the Catholic Church deeper into conservatism is showing signs of becoming a great pope and a major player in the effort to change the world for the better.

Pope Benedict XVI has the potential to help the Catholic Church become an effective instrument of peace because of his stance on ecumenism and interreligious dialogue. One of the best examples of this is the formation of the Catholic-Muslim Forum which recently met at the Vatican.. In the past, it was inconceivable that such a forum could exist. The fact that the forum has actually met and discussed the two faiths’ understanding of the obligation to love God and one’s neighbour speaks volumes about the leadership qualities of both Pope Benedict and his Muslim counterparts.

By extending a hand of friendship to what may be termed a major religious adversary,  Benedict has shown that he and President-elect Barack Obama have something in common. As he prepares to take his place in the White House, Mr Obama is busy extending a hand of friendship not only to his Democratic competitor, Hillary Clinton, but also to his Republican opponents. Mr Obama clearly understands that as President he will  serve, not only his supporters or members of the Democratic Party, but the people of America as a whole.

Some religious leaders suffer from the problem of “doctrinal intolerance”. Thus some Evangelical Protestants will have nothing to do with Catholics because they believe Catholics do not have the right doctrine and are lost. Perhaps there are some Catholics who have the same attitude towards Evangelical Protestants. In this way doctrine becomes more important than love of neighbour and the fact that we worship the same God and profess Christ as Lord and Saviour.

By facilitating communication between Muslims and Catholics, Pope Benedict is showing that both Catholics and Muslims are children of God and descendants of Abraham, the father of all who believe in the One True God. Furthermore, he is showing that the Christian faith is something we should be willing to share with all who care to hear about it. By facilitating dialogue between Catholics and Muslims, Benedict is playing a significant role in promoting peace.

Similarly, Mr Obama has indicated that as president he will facilitate greater understanding between the United States and other nations. Furthermore, he has made the American people buy into the message that the greatness of a nation does not lie in dominance and military might, but in values-based leadership and in its humanitarian traditions.

We in Southern Africa can learn valuable lessons from these two leaders. One of the lessons we can learn from Mr Obama and Pope Benedict is political tolerance. Whether the ANC or Cope emerges victorious in the forthcoming elections, there is no need to foment violence between the followers of these parties. Whichever party emerges victorious should govern in the interests of all the people of South Africa.

In Zimbabwe, it is tragic that people continue to suffer while the political parties are unable to tolerate each other and arrive at a fair and just agreement. In this way leadership becomes leadership for the sake of power and privilege, not for the sake of the people.