Pope hails Scout Movement on 100th anniversary
(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.
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