[Dialogue] POPE LEO & IRON BOY: Top-10 Synchronicities

[David Marshall]

Order, EI, & ICA former colleagues,

I recently joined Substack to provide more long-form content for my family
communication books, including my upcoming memoir IRON BOY, and posted this
2-page article yesterday. I noticed some of you are on Substack as well,
but for those who aren't, I'm providing a copy below.

Title: POPE LEO & IRON BOY: Top-10 Synchronicities
Subtitle:Bringing Light to World’s “Dark Night”

[image: image.png]

Growing up ecumenical, I was exposed to a lot more Catholicism than the
average Protestant boy in America, even though my family was officially
Methodist. I studied Saint Teresa, Saint Augustine, and Saint Francis as a
teenager, and attended Catholic mass from different Religious Houses around
the world. Our 30-minute Daily Office service each dawn was full of
Episcopalian liturgy, which has similarities to Catholic services.

So when Pope Leo was selected by the cardinals in the Vatican this week, I
naturally noticed the parallels between Pope Leo and *Iron Boy*, including
our global debuts just weeks a part this spring, although mine pales by
comparison.

Connections abound:

1.       CHICAGO - Our formative years were both in Chicago in the 1960s
and 1970s, Pope Leo on the South Side, and Iron Boy on the West Side.

2.       ORDERS - We both lived monastic lives, Pope Leo in an Augustine
Order for priests and Iron Boy in an Ecumenical Family Order (Protestants,
Catholics, Jews, and other faiths). We both practiced our own versions of
poverty, chastity, and obedience.

3.       CULTS – Some agnostics and atheists say the Catholic Church is one
of the largest cults on the planet. Others say the Order Ecumenical I grew
up in was a cult as well. People must judge for themselves. What is a
“cult” anyway? Cult survivors recount a sense of belonging and intense
community, but also of being taught they are holier than others; believing
the cult leader is “all knowing;” giving up their own freedom to “group
think;” forced to tolerate leader unaccountability for misdeeds; feeling
afraid to leave; and ultimately being ostracized by remaining members after
departure. I experienced many of these feelings as well.

4.       REFORM - We are both committed to Christian renewal, extending the
reforms started by Pope Francis in Pope Leo’s case, and in spreading the
good news about demythologized theology in Iron Boy’s case. My platform is
admittedly quite small compared to Pope Leo’s.

5.       GLOBALISTS - We have lived on multiple continents and speak
several languages.

6.       PERU - We both lived in Peru as adults, arriving in the 1980s, and
had family and missional work in this Latin American country. After my mom
left the Order, she lived in Peru for six years with her second husband,
and they supported the ICA rural development program in Azpitia, Peru.

7.       AGE - We are contemporaries, at 69 years old.

8.       ABUSE - Both our respective Orders were accused of preying on
children, and had to make hard decisions about what to do about it, with
not great results.

9.       LEO - Pope Leo was known as Robert Prevost until this week, but
will go down in history as Pope Leo XIV. The Associated Press reported this
week that “In naming himself Leo, the new pope could also have wanted to
signal a strong line of continuity: Brother Leo was the 13th century friar
who was a great companion to St. Francis of Assisi, the late pope’s
namesake.” For Iron Boy, Leo was a mythical figure in a study book *Journey
to the East* by Herman Hesse in an Order course called “The Odyssey,” which
I recount taking in Malaysia in my upcoming book.

10.   SERVANT LEADERSHIP - The “Leo” figure in *Journey to the East* is
often associated with the more secular Servant Leadership movement led by
Robert Greenleaf starting in the 1970s and in later years by Ken Blanchard
and other exemplars. I had the pleasure of publishing a number of Ken
Blanchard’s Servant Leadership books when I worked at Berrett-Koehler
Publishers during the last two decades.

>From Google AI on the last two points:

“In Hermann Hesse's *Journey to the East*, Leo is initially presented as a
simple, unassuming servant, but his disappearance triggers the group's
disintegration. He is revealed to be the President of the League, a figure
who embodies the essence of servant leadership and the unifying force of
the group. His absence exposes the fragility of the League's ideals and the
lack of true commitment among its members.

“Here's a more detailed look at Leo's role:

   - “*Symbol of Servant Leadership*: Leo is described as a quiet,
   supportive, and beloved member of the group, readily helping others and
   showing a natural affinity with animals. This aligns with the concept of
   servant leadership, where leaders prioritize the needs of their followers.
   - “*Unifying Presence*: Leo's presence, though unassuming, provides a
   sense of stability and purpose for the group. His disappearance leads to
   confusion, anxiety, and bickering among the members.
   - “*Hidden Leadership:* It's revealed that Leo is not just a servant but
   the President of the League. This highlights the paradox that true
   leadership can manifest in humility and service.
   - “*Test of Faithfulness:* Leo's disappearance is a deliberate act, a
   test of the group's commitment to the journey's core values. The group's
   inability to persevere without him exposes their lack of faith and their
   internal struggles.
   - “*Symbol of Inner Peace:* The journey to the East, and Leo's role
   within it, can be interpreted as a metaphor for the search for inner peace
   and spiritual enlightenment. Leo's quiet service and the animals' love for
   him suggest a connection to a higher, more natural order.”



I wish Pope Leo the best in serving as a bridge to warring factions in the
world and among his own flock, and in holding himself and other Catholic
Church leaders accountable for their past and present failings in not
protecting the children.

“Peace be with you,” (Pope Leo to world on first day of papacy) and “Grace
and peace,” (Order Ecumenical salutation).

***

I'm probably going to use some version of this for my Sunday Housechuch
Countdown #5 post tomorrow. If you want to see the previous five countdown
post as part of my IRON BOY book launch, you can find them on my Marshall
Books blog <https://marshallbooks.wordpress.com/>.

David Marshall, Moraga, California
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