Catholic Committee on Scouting
Diocese of Orange
POPE JOHN PAUL II - MESSAGE TO
SCOUTING
Pope John Paul II spoke to Scouting's
international officials in Oct. 1990. Parts of his address
are included in the "Annex to the Catholic Scout Charter"
approved by the Vatican in July 1992.
In line with the many instances in which
my predecessors have praised the noble aims of your movement
and its achievements on a world-wide scale since Lord
Baden-Powell founded it just over 80 years ago, I assure you
of my own personal appreciation of Scouting as a magnificent
educational experience and form of social and religious
commitment. I am happy to know that, today, over 16 million
young people of all races, religions and cultures on every
continent take part in Scouting. . . .
In . . . changing political and social
circumstances . . . you are finding opportunities for a
renewed presence of your organization in the countries of
central and eastern Europe. You are also making notable
progress in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, while Scouting
continues to attract many young people in countries (where)
it has been traditionally strong. I encourage you to
continue to uphold the high ideals and challenging programs
of personal development, friendship, brotherhood and service
which make your movement so appealing to youth.
Scouting is above all an education.
Members . . . experience it as a growth into personal
maturity and social responsibility. They learn to assume
their place in life with a high degree of commitment to the
common good. They learn to care for the less fortunate. They
develop a fervent desire to build a culture of goodwill;
they learn openness and harmony in human relationships,
respect for the environment, acceptance of duties, including
the most fundamental of all duties, love of the Creator and
obedience to his will.
Scouting is . . . capable of helping
millions of young men and women to work for a civilization
of "being", in contrast to the civilization of "having",
which is producing . . . such alarming manifestations of
selfishness, frustration and despair, and . . . violence as
a way of life. The true value of your movement lies in
transmitting a humanism expressed in right judgment,
strength of character, refinement of spirit, and
perseverance in the pursuit of truth and goodness.
The success of the Scouting method has
much to do with the way young people are led to discover for
themselves and live these qualities through activities
suitable to their age. The spontaneous and open style of
Scouting activities, within a framework of self discipline
and a clear code of behavior, makes these activities
particularly attractive to the naturally enthusiastic and
generous nature of youth.
Concern for the Christian values was an
essential part of the original program . . . devised by
Baden-Powell. It is precisely this openness to the religious
dimension of life that gives body and direction to the human
and ethical values the movement seeks to transmit. . . . It
is true that the Church has a special interest in the
well-being of Catholic Scouts and Guides . . . but I assure
you that she holds the entire Scouting movement in high
esteem and is confident that cooperation and exchange
between all its component organizations is an important part
of (its) further strengthening and success. . . .
You . . . may well be proud of the great
Scouting traditions of personal excellence and self-giving
in the service of God and neighbor which you have inherited.
I invoke God's blessings upon you as you strive to address
the many questions facing your organization today and meet
the challenges of maintaining the high ideals of
Scouting.
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