The Words of the Beutl Family
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The Words of the Beutl Family |
My dear brothers and sisters,
When Einari and I travelled through Europe we were invited by the national leader of Italy, Giuseppe Cali to meet him at our church center near Rome, a beautiful place with a vineyard, where we could enjoy a couple of hours of sharing from our hearts. I would like to let you know of a few aspects which this national representative of our Movement is dedicated to implement in his country where he strives to revive brothers and sisters through strengthening of their families.
Giuseppe Cali feels that now after Foundation Day we can work on a new level. In this advanced era all the structure of our organization should serve the success of the efforts of Blessed families. He sees this as a structural and cultural change, where the culture of our Movement needs to be focused on deepening family relationships, like the unity between husband and wife relationship and parent and child unity. For this purpose he regularly meets with Blessed families in their homes for the sake of heartfelt sharing, often crying with them together, feeling much compassion for them and their situations.
Giuseppe is dedicated to create a new spiritual Movement -- the same people but with a new spirit. He would like to build a movement which can really express and manifest the Principle, to form a model society in our communities which can show to the people the way how they can leave your present situation and lead a more happy and fulfilled life.
For him it is very important to make our movement completely healthy. During the first two years of the 7 year course towards 2020 Giuseppe wants to invest especially into the Second Generation and establish a movement which can be publically presented to the society. Just recently there was a weekend meeting of some 40 Italian Second Generation older than 18 where they focused on the theme of ownership in line with their national leader's desire who wants them to know that they are now the main part of the providence. Giuseppe feels that they should take ownership over the providence, their faith and the movement as a whole because they are now the key to our future. He wants to help them to feel as owners but this must of course come from their heart and conscience.
About the overall situation the national leader told us: "We have generally speaking good relationships here in Italy but this is not enough. We need to become one, working together on the national level." In his understanding, there are no more leaders and members but we are one family. Giuseppe feels that before Foundation Day there was a spiritual influence on our members through the problems existing in the True Family but now we are liberated and do not depend on anybody else other than our own efforts like doing Hoon Dok Hae living a principled life. If family works together they have incredible power.
About himself Giuseppe says: "I am a person who wants to do what I understand. I am not inventing something new, I want to do what True Parents have told us." He is dedicated to resolving issues in relationships, especially if people have some problem with him he wants them to speak out and to tell him directly so that the issue can be clarified, leaving nothing unsolved is possible because for him good relationships are very important.
The national leader of Italy emphasized a very valuable point: "How we love our children is the model how we should love others." Personally I am convinced that such an attitude is one of the keys to revive our Movement because when we live with such an attitude we will see profound positive changes which will bring God's Presence into our midst based on our deep love for one another.
About his family situation (his children are 21, 18, 16, and 8 years old) Giuseppe says that from the relationship point of view his family is quite healthy. He is faced with challenges on the financial level but there has again and again been unexpected help available while he is dedicated to reaching out to Blessed families as well as to outside people. His wife was recently elected to be president of WFWP besides being co-pastor as he is many times away from home, visiting families from the north of Italy down to Sicilia, where he grew up. Giuseppe says: "For me a stable love life is important. I can face everything but I need to feel that in my family everything is fine. If I have a struggle I cannot sleep at night."
In respect to loving those who are difficult for us to love the Italian national leader is convinced that we should be able to smile at our enemies. "To love in the right way is a big challenge but without it there is no meaning to our life. For what are we here? To love means to invest our life -- I am challenging myself and brothers and sisters." He tells them: "I will not leave you alone. If you do not change I come to your home because I do not want to leave you behind." He feels: "If we leave members alone they will finally die, overwhelmed and crushed by the culture of society, by the environment. Therefore I want to give them strength and show them that they are not alone."
According to the conviction of the leader of our Movement in Italy, during the present period we all should go through fundamental changes so that by 2020, "we will be completely different people, living in a completely different realm." In order to open the way to improve the relationship between leaders and members he made a survey where all members were ask to evaluate where our movement stands and also to evaluate their leaders. He asked questions like, "What do you think about our movement, about your pastor?" He does not mind about position but really wants to know what brothers and sisters think about him. He encourages them: "Please speak whatever you feel."
Giuseppe wants to publish the results of the survey in order to let everybody know the outcome of their evaluation. He is convinced that in all areas and on every level leaders have to go through such an evaluation from the side of those for whom they are responsible.
In our conversation he emphasized that leaders must not be arrogant and say, "I am right.' but they must be truly humble. Similarly to Jesus washing the feet of his disciples they have to show now after foundation day that the family is the center. Leaders have to show that they are the servants of the members, and not their leader. We are not politicians -- we pray together. We need a deep evaluation of entire movement to find out how we can change. I myself must change and ask more help from brothers and sisters. Leaders have to want to do what brothers and sisters need, otherwise they should resign."
The national representative of our Movement in Italy is certain that we need a change of mentality where we reduce step by step the authority of leaders and uplift the authority of members so that there will be no more burden from the organization on Blessed families: "Everything about the organization should be transparent and if there is even one bit of doubt it should come out and be resolved because we have to become one people." I wholeheartedly agree with such an attitude of the Italian national leader who says that through the reforms which he initiated some leaders feel that he is reducing their authority. But he is convinced that we should really show our heart and not be afraid.
Giuseppe Cali affirms that every organization needs a clear evaluation. We need to achieve a cultural change in our Movement where we are not any more centred on leaders but we need to think that everybody is a leader. And everybody must make an evaluation about themselves based on asking their conscience.
Giuseppe emphasized that while we need to avoid falling into the trap of self-accusation, it is decisive that we listen to each other because every person needs somebody to listen to them help them to get the good out -- from God's viewpoint. The good things a person has received is what he or she can give to others.
The leader of the Italian FFWPU pointed to the importance of recognizing where we need to change, noting: "As we go through a process of growth, we can make mistakes, but we must always forgive ourselves and others and go forward." For him it is clear that according to the Family Pledge we all are owner of Cheon Il Guk and we should work naturally together as brothers and sisters. Giuseppe says that in his organizational role he can help with his experiences but more importantly ownership over the providence must be felt by all members.
"There must not be an owner and servant mentality, otherwise we will be crushed under authorities." For this national leader it is important that we create an atmosphere of a free society where everybody wants to offer their talents and where we see a free flow of ideas. Based on his understanding, "When we create a proper environment love starts to flow." Giuseppe has much hope for the future as many brothers and sisters are waking up and their level of conscience concerning relationships is growing so that a much better spiritual work can be done now.
In our conversation he mentioned as a special experience the Holy Wine ceremony in northern Italy before Foundation Day where around 600 people participated. There was a high spirit so that he was moved to share a lot -- with many tears of repentance for the past and a new resolution for the future on the side of the participants. About the 3 hours speech which he gave at that ceremony Giuseppe said that he did had only prepare for some address but in the presence of 600 people with a repentful heart there was a powerful flow of energy, "that comes when we know that we are called to serve God."
The national leader of Italy encourages his members to tell him right away if he is making a mistake because he wants to swiftly repair it. He asks them: "Tell me in my face, 'I do not agree with this.' I will surely surrender to those with more experience, who are more qualified to give proper answers." Should it not be natural for all of us not to be stuck on our own opinion but to readily change if required and do what our conscience tells us? Giuseppe says: "I feel much more I hope that we can keep a humble spirit. When I see something wrong I want to express it and find a solution -- and not wait. We have to work a lot in these 7 years to make everything work. Our concepts in respect to our organization should change."
Giuseppe Cali stated that he acts in line with what he feels inside to be the way to go. adding: "Everything we do is a condition for what comes afterwards; we have to go step by step higher, making preparations for the future." He emphasized that a successful pattern and victorious foundation needs to be established which can be shared with other countries.
The national leader of Italy spoke of the need for harmonious cooperation between the three levels, European, national and local because otherwise we create conflict. The higher level should not just think of 'themselves' but secure the wellbeing of the lower level so that from a spiritual and financial standpoint all levels can work properly together. The question, "How can everybody survive?" should be considered instead of always asking for money from the lower level, leaving brothers and sisters without any resource to do effective direct witnessing on the local or national level.
Another issue which Giuseppe Cali wants the top leaders of Europe to realize is that the organizational and personnel issues concerning the Second Generation on this continent is not resolved even though officially a solution was presented. Giuseppe emphasized that the problem is still there and mistrust must be resolved: "There cannot be two organizers who are not united as it is practically the case." The Italian national leader deplored that the European Office is pursuing in some areas a contradictory strategy, e.g. asking leaders not to welcome the DAN educational team for young people although it is part of the official structure.
Concerning the project to gather testimonies about True Love the Italian national leader said that it is a very good service to make a good book that can inspire people. "I don't see any problem." About the way the European Office acted in response to the public project Einari and I initiated Giuseppe Cali emphasized: "They should at least have evaluated your work directly before sending out an official mail. Now after Foundation Day they cannot behave like this anymore." Giuseppe promised to bring this issue up in the next European leaders' meeting, stating, "I will confront them point by point.
Just as a parent should educate children properly and not crush them the European Office cannot do like that. I am urging Rev. An, [the continental president]. They are in a kind of parental position not just sending e-mail. If there is something wrong with your work they should tell you but not do like this. With the Second Generation they did the same.
If the European Headquarters continues like this then the personnel should be changed. They should be humble and take responsibility. Something very important internally is missing. They should really be serving the countries, and not do what is politically correct while at the same time crash the members."
Giuseppe Cali affirmed, "I do not have resentments because they are my brothers. I openly discuss; if I have something to say I say it directly. We should be free to say whatever needs to be said. I want to finish issues here and now to be free to continue from there."
In our heartfelt sharing the long-time national leader of Italy mentioned in special appreciation my spiritual son Peter Staudinger, who has been working in the European Office for decades: "He is a saint. For so many years he is doing the servant of servant position, serving brothers and sisters like this..."
Concerning the issues that have not been dealt with in the right way by the top leadership Giuseppe noted: "If this is the way our movement works the system itself should change. If something does not work let us clean this issue out, allowing for no resentments. We must do everything under the sunlight, otherwise we lose our energy." The issue that our organizations are still not transparent even though True Children has called for it already years ago is indeed an issue which must be fully addressed at this time.
About the way the European Office treated Einari and me the Italian national representative of our Movement said: "I saw this kind of behaviour several times. Sometimes they send mail warning people about something where I do not see any problem. If I can I will help and speak out. We all are supposed to lead a life of True Love. We need to know how to live according to the Cheon Il Guk system. I really do not understand how the European Office could treat you in such a way.
Now is the time that tribal messiahs should take the initiative. It would be very nice to have a book with testimonies where people share how they overcame with Love. You are doing a very good job to prepare such a publication that can help brothers and sisters to feel represented. Their testimony needs to be represented for others to learn about the life of the members of our young movement, to know what we went through.
Many members still have the mentality that if we disobey the leaders we disobey God and True Parents. But this is an old concept. After Foundation Day we cannot think any more like this. We can never become mature people of filial piety in this way. We need a cultural change to liberate brothers and sisters. Our main goal should be to liberate our movement."
Giuseppe shared that in the past he brought 10 to 12 people every day [he emphasized every day and not every week or every month] to the center, but then we lost the track. "Now we need to adjust, and then people will come back when we are ready. I am sometimes invited to speak at events and people are astonished and amazed about our ideas. We have incredible assets but we cannot use them now because of our unresolved issues. We need to openly discuss topics. The only way is to completely change so that the structure becomes weaker and the role of brother and sisters becomes stronger."
Giuseppe Cali shared that in the past he always spoke out against what is wrong in our Movement but he got tired of all those struggles with leaders because he had to pay the price for standing up for what he knows to be right and true. He mentioned that many times there was an agreement among national leaders concerning issues which are not handled in the right way by the top leadership, "but when I spoke out I was alone and it seemed that there was a personal confrontation between me and the regional president." For this reason Giuseppe did not say anything anymore for some time. About his attitude at the present time he says: "Now after foundation Day I have new desire and strength to speak out and to go forward to work for changes."
To conclude I would like to mention that Giuseppe Cali says about himself that he can change in one second if he understands. He does not think that he is always right but wants to involve everybody in the decision making in this new era after Foundation Day.
Wishing for all leaders to manifest such a heart which is open for personal changes,
Your brother Nikolaus