(July 2, 2007) The world scouting movement that is marking it’s 100th
anniversary on August 1, has been hailed by Pope Benedict XVI as a place for true
human growth and holiness when inspired by the Gospel principles. The Pope’s remark
came in a message to French Cardinal Jean-Pierre Ricard, president of France’s Catholic
bishops’ conference. The father of Catholic Scout movemnt is Jesuit Fr. Jacques
Sevin, who began the movement in France in 1920. Celebrations of the 100th
anniversary are to take place in the island of Brownsea, England, August 1, where
Baden-Powel, the father of the worldwide scout movement, held his first scout camp.
In his message, Pope Benedict said that scouts from all over the world will be present
at Brownsea to renew their oath to demonstrate how much the ideal of scouting is related
to peace building. “For a century, through play, action, adventure, contact with
nature, team spirit and service towards others, an integral formation of the human
person has been offered to all those who join scouting, the Pope said. “Enriched
by the Gospel,” he explained, “scouting is not only a place of true human growth,
but also a place of strong Christian proposal and an authentic spiritual and moral
maturation, as well as a true path to holiness.” Pope Benedict recalled Pope John
Paul II’s 1997 appeal to various units of Catholic Scout movements for greater unity
and cooperation among themselves in order to offer to boys and girls of today a pedagogy
that builds a strong personality founded on Christ in order live the high ideals of
faith and human solidarity.