Pope says scouting important tool to help young people learn values

Published: 2004-10-25

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Catholic scouting is an important tool for helping young people learn the value of being faithful to God and true to others, Pope John Paul II said. The pope met Oct. 23 with 40,000 singing, chanting and banner-waving Italian Catholic Scouts and Guides in St. Peter's Square. He told the smallest members -- the Cubs and Ladybugs -- "to do your best every day to grow joyfully" and to discover "the marvels of creation." The pope asked the Guides and Scouts to be always ready to do good, to learn to be responsible and to become active members of their parishes and communities. He asked the older members, the Sentries and Rovers, "to commit yourselves to making the word 'service' the motto of your lives in the conviction that giving of oneself is the secret to making your existence beautiful and fruitful." The pope asked the den and troop leaders to help the young people learn the values and social skills that will enable them "to contribute to building a world of friendship and solidarity."

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