ROME — Pope Francis met a delegation of the “Scouts Unitaires” from France in the Vatican Saturday and urged them to integrate their Christian faith into their efforts to be good scouts.
“Your scout movement is a sign of encouragement for young people, because it invites them to dream and to act, to have the courage to look to the future with hope,” the pope said while holding up the practice of “big brothers” and “big sisters” as an example of solidarity.
The scouts have the “noble mission” of witnessing to their faith with their service to others, Francis said, adding, “I urge you to be dynamic Christians and faithful Scouts at the same time!”
In this way, “you will be trying to be consistent with the values you carry, having strong convictions, based on the Gospel, in a spirit of openness to others,” he said. “Then your actions will benefit the society in which you live in various ways.”
The Scouts Unitaires, a Catholic scouting movement in France, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year and chose to make a pilgrimage to Rome, where the pope received them in the Vatican.
“The scout, with his willingness to serve others, is also called to work for a more ‘extroverted’ Church and for a more human world,” the pope told them. The scouts are also called to be “protagonists in evangelization and in the construction of society.”
“Never lose sight of the fact that the Lord calls you all to carry the missionary announcement without fear, wherever you are, especially among young people, in your neighborhoods, in sports, when you go out with friends, in volunteering and at work,” Francis said.
“Always and everywhere you share the joy of the Gospel that makes you live!” he added.
Members of a Catholic Scouting movement should be “sowers of hope” and witnesses to the richness of community life, he said, giving thanks to God for “these fifty years in the service of your brothers and sisters, and of the Church.”
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