I find the Roman Catholic Church absolutely fascinating, not because of its religious position, but because it is (I believe) the oldest, continuously functioning, non-interrupted institution on the planet. The Japanese Emperor and Dalai Lama my come from oilder traditions, but they certainly never had anywhere near the influence.

Almost two thousand years old,(perhaps even longer if you believe in continuous sequential leadership going back to St Peter), it has gone through a lot of history, some schisms and much change, but it is still the same institution that arose during the Roman Empire. Its the closest thing to a Bene Gesserit we’ve got, and our future as a species may depend on the ability to create and maintain organizations capable of carrying out really long-term agendas.

I’d love to take a guided tour through their archives.