Vatican City, 15 June 2015 (VIS) –
Seventy five children and young people from the Association of
Italian Catholic Guides and Scouts (AGESCI) from all over the
peninsula gathered in St. Peter's Square from the early hours of
this morning to meet the Pope, who shortly after 11 a.m. toured the
square to greet them, warmly embracing many.
“You are a valuable part of the
Church in Italy”, Francis said, praising “the goodness and wisdom
of the scouting method, based on great human values, on contact with
nature, religiosity and faith in God; a method that educates in
freedom and responsibility”. “When asked, 'How does religion
enter into scouting?', your founder Lord Baden-Powell answered that
is did not need to 'enter' since it was already a part of it. There
is no religious 'side' of the movement – or a non-religious one.
The whole of it is based on religion, that is, on the realisation and
service of God”.
Associations such as yours are a wealth
for the Church, inspired by the Holy Spirit to evangelise all
environments and sectors. I am sure that AGESCI can bring to the
Church a new evangelical zeal and a new capacity for dialogue with
society. Take heed: capacity for dialogue! Make bridges in this
society where there is the tendency to build walls. Build bridges
through dialogue. And this can happen only on one condition: that the
single groups do not lose contact with the parish where they are
based, but which in many cases do not attend as, although they carry
out their service there, they come from other areas”.
The bishop of Rome, who spoke in a
colloquial manner with those present, urged them to aim at finding a
way of integrating themselves into the pastoral ministry of the
particular Church, “establishing relationships of respect and
collaboration at all levels with your bishops, parish priests and
other clergy, with educators and members of other ecclesial
associations present in the parish and in the same territory, and not
settling for a 'decorative' presence on Sundays or on other major
occasions”.
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