We are the Leaders

In case you hadn’t noticed, today the “Convocation of Catholic Leaders” ends in Orlando, Florida. At a cost of hundreds of thousands of dollars, some 3,000 or more “leaders”  were transported to Orlando for the four-day conference. The Church bureaucracy and affiliated organizations bore the cost of this; judging by the hierarchy of the sponsors’ logos, the Knights of Columbus played a primary role.

See “Convocation Guidebook and Journal.”

It’s invitation only. The leaders – episcopal, clerical religious and lay – are selected by the hierarchy and the church bureaucracy. At Orlando they could listen addresses by other dynamic Catholic leaders like Cardinal Timothy Dolan and Archbishop William Lori. In some respects the “convocation” seems an Americanized version of the German Church’s Katholikentag which has existed for many years – without the still-prounounced anti-Roman orientation of the latter but adding a distinctly American secular corporate flavor.

Do we need to point out that the entire concept of developing “leaders” is un-Catholic and un-Christian, derived as it is from the realms of corporate development and, to a lesser extent, of secular political organization? Indeed, the official Guidebook of the Convocation reads like the handout for a corporate executive “leadership development” conference so many of which I have had the pleasure to attend. For in dead corporate bureaucracies the question of how to reawaken any leadership or initiative is a perennial challenge – when the entire organization seems to militate against these qualities.

Now the conference is entirely organized around the works of Pope Francis: above all Evangelii Gaudium. Amoris Laetitia, Laudato Si and his other addresses are also proposed for reading and reflection. It seems that in this stage of the life of the conciliar Church the thoughts of Bergoglio have largely displaced the previous endless citations of Vatican II. Talk about a “hermeneutic of rupture”: the Church seems to have just begun in 2013!

The Guidebook offers pages upon pages of nebulous jargon and platitudes. True, some disturbing statistics on mass attendance are quoted; other than that, very little that is specific and concrete appears. The spiritual and societal concerns we encounter in current discussions and in works such as The Benedict Option seem absent here. The ongoing monumental issues which Bergoglio’s initiatives in moral theology raise for every Catholic appear not to be directly addressed. Nor is his emphatic rejection of “proselytism” considered in relation to “evangelization.” Do we need even to mention that issues dear to Traditionalists such as restoring the liturgy, traditional spirituality and ecclesiastical art receive no attention at the Convocation? It seems that the Catholic leader of today only needs to study the works of Bergoglio, a few short bursts of individually structured prayer, and some “team-building” before sallying forth to evangelize the world.

Like corporate conferences this time of year, “attire for the Convocation is business casual.” The Guidebook feels the need to provide elaborate instructions to the participants – the following selection combines sanctimonious piety with a helpful if ludicrous boost for Orlando tourism:

The Orlando Area
Our Lord said to the disciples, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest” (Mt 11:28) and to the seventy-two missionaries, “Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is o ered to you, for the laborer deserves his pay- ment” (Lk 10:7). One of the reasons the Convocation is being held in Florida is to offer Catholic leaders a place of beauty and rest. While the weather may be hot and humid, the Orlando area offers many options for relief from the heat and chances to gather with friends, colleagues, or family at the region’s many attractions before or after the Convocation. If time and budget considerations allow, try to spend a few extra days in the area prior to or following the Convocation. Enjoy Orlando as you wish: the theme parks, the pools, the restaurants and entertainment options, or the many amenities of your resort or hotel.