Vatican City - “The Gospel is far more than a book: it is the very person of Christ, good news for a humanity that is confused, deluded and disillusioned by so many evils. He quenches our thirst for justice and truth and instils in us the courage to persevere in doing good and to put ourselves at the service of our neighbours, personally.” With these words, Leo XIV welcomed, this morning in the Paul VI Audience Hall, the members of the Italian Association of Catholic Guides and Scouts of Europe (FSE), gathered to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Association’s foundation.
Who are the Scouts of Europe?
Founded on 14 April 1976, when a dozen leaders from Rome registered its founding act before a notary in the capital, the Italian Association of Catholic Guides and Scouts of Europe today has around twenty thousand members across twenty-six countries. Rooted in Baden-Powell’s educational charism and in the tradition of Italian Catholic Scouting, the FSE is distinguished by its choice of intereducation: parallel and distinct paths for boys and girls, organised into male branches - Wolf Cubs, Scouts and Rovers - and female branches - Ladybirds, Guides and Rangers. Its method is based on “learning by doing”, giving priority to life in the open air, life in small communities and the spirit of service, all within an explicitly Christian framework and with a commitment to promoting European humanism.
The Pope’s address
Leo XIV opened his address by recalling the motto chosen by the Association for its jubilee: “If God wills, forever!” Noting its coincidence with the Easter season just concluded, the Pontiff expressed the hope that the Association might live this anniversary as “a new Pentecost”, praying that “the Holy Spirit descend upon each of you, as he did upon the Apostles gathered in the Upper Room”.
At the heart of the address was a pressing invitation to fidelity to Scripture as the compass of educational action. Taking up the words of his predecessor, Leo XIV urged the leaders: “I invite you to keep [the Gospel] with you always, as your navigator - the Gospel is the true navigator for the journey of life - and to open it each day.” He immediately added: “The Gospel is far more than a book: it is the very person of Christ, good news for a humanity that is confused, deluded and disillusioned by so many evils.”
Addressing the Scout leaders, the Pope stressed the witness value of personal consistency: “The consistency of your lives and the maturity of your choices are, in their eyes, a very important example that helps them to grow.” He also indicated the concrete direction of that witness: “Live out the beauty of the faith in daily actions and shared prayer, in the Sacraments and in the discernment of each person’s vocation: respond generously to Christ’s call, which invites you to climb to the summit, to set sail, to walk together along the path of virtue.”
Leo XIV then highlighted the specific educational character of intereducation, describing the choice to “educate in separate sections for boys and girls” as a dynamic that is “a preparatory step towards an authentic and conscious encounter with the other, which can foster mutual growth”.
On the level of service, the methodological heart of Baden-Powell’s thought, the Pontiff offered a theological reading: “Lived in faith, service frees us from the tendency to be self-centred, indifferent and closed off, opening us up to the experience of community and a sense of responsibility: from small things done well to mutual care.” He concluded with a reflection on the Association’s European identity, expressing appreciation for its decision to “foster a sense of European identity - not on a political level, but a cultural one - by renewing your commitment to building a Europe of peoples, not merely of business, united by the highest values of Christian humanism.”
fr.E.R.
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