Pope Francis to Scouts "... always set out in search of the plan that God has for each one of you." FULL TEXT
MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS
TO THE ASSOCIATION OF ITALIAN CATHOLIC GUIDES AND SCOUTS (AGESCI)
TO THE ASSOCIATION OF ITALIAN CATHOLIC GUIDES AND SCOUTS (AGESCI)
Pope Francis sends a message to participants in a meeting of the Catholic Association of Italian Guides and Scouts (AGESCI), and invites scout leaders to show young people a Christian path toward fraternal communion and service to one another. Around 18,000 people are taking part in the Route of the AGESCI Community Leaders, held in the northern Italian city of Verona that concludes on Sunday.
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To the Reverend Don Andrea TURCHINI
General Assistant
of the Italian Association of Italian Catholic Guides and Scouts
I extend my cordial greeting to the participants in the Route of the Community Leaders, urging them to draw new enthusiasm from faith in Jesus, teacher and friend, to joyfully continue the human and spiritual journey within the Church, bearing witness to the Gospel in society.
May the days of reflection foster in each one the awareness of how delicate your educational commitment is towards children, adolescents and young people who must be accompanied with wisdom and supported with affection. This requires quality training for those who are called to carry out this important mission: first of all, the willingness to listen and empathize with others, as the area in which evangelization germinates and bears fruit.
In particular, it is about developing the ability to listen and the art of dialogue, which are naturally anchored to a life of prayer, where one enters into dialogue with the Lord, pauses in his presence to learn from him the art of self-giving love, so that little by little one’s existence is in tune with the heart of the Master.
The pages of the Gospel allow us to see how Jesus knew how to make himself present or absent, knew when it was time to correct or when to praise, to accompany or the occasion to send and let the Apostles face the missionary challenge. It is in the midst of these, which we could call, “formative interventions” of Christ that Peter, Andrew, James, John and the rest of those called, gradually configured their lives to that of the Lord.
It is also necessary to consider the formative impact that the life and behavior of the trainers have on the Branches that make up the Association. The trainers educate first and foremost with their lives, rather than with words. The life of the trainer, his constant human and spiritual growth as a disciple of Christ, supported by the grace of God, is a fundamental factor at his disposal to make his service to the young generations efficient. In fact, his very life bears witness to what his words and gestures seek to convey in dialogue and formative accompaniment.
I renew my appreciation to your entire Association, a significant educational reality in the Church, and I encourage you to increasingly make it a training ground for Christian life, an occasion for fraternal communion, a school of service to others, especially the most disadvantaged and needy. Do not let yourselves be paralyzed by difficulties, but always set out in search of the plan that God has for each one of you.
With these hopes, I assure you of my prayerful remembrance and, while I entrust everyone to the protection of the Virgin Mary and Saint George, I ask you to please pray for me, and I heartily send my Blessing.
Rome, Saint John Lateran, 1 August 2024
FRANCIS
______
To the Reverend Don Andrea TURCHINI
General Assistant
of the Italian Association of Italian Catholic Guides and Scouts
I extend my cordial greeting to the participants in the Route of the Community Leaders, urging them to draw new enthusiasm from faith in Jesus, teacher and friend, to joyfully continue the human and spiritual journey within the Church, bearing witness to the Gospel in society.
May the days of reflection foster in each one the awareness of how delicate your educational commitment is towards children, adolescents and young people who must be accompanied with wisdom and supported with affection. This requires quality training for those who are called to carry out this important mission: first of all, the willingness to listen and empathize with others, as the area in which evangelization germinates and bears fruit.
In particular, it is about developing the ability to listen and the art of dialogue, which are naturally anchored to a life of prayer, where one enters into dialogue with the Lord, pauses in his presence to learn from him the art of self-giving love, so that little by little one’s existence is in tune with the heart of the Master.
The pages of the Gospel allow us to see how Jesus knew how to make himself present or absent, knew when it was time to correct or when to praise, to accompany or the occasion to send and let the Apostles face the missionary challenge. It is in the midst of these, which we could call, “formative interventions” of Christ that Peter, Andrew, James, John and the rest of those called, gradually configured their lives to that of the Lord.
It is also necessary to consider the formative impact that the life and behavior of the trainers have on the Branches that make up the Association. The trainers educate first and foremost with their lives, rather than with words. The life of the trainer, his constant human and spiritual growth as a disciple of Christ, supported by the grace of God, is a fundamental factor at his disposal to make his service to the young generations efficient. In fact, his very life bears witness to what his words and gestures seek to convey in dialogue and formative accompaniment.
I renew my appreciation to your entire Association, a significant educational reality in the Church, and I encourage you to increasingly make it a training ground for Christian life, an occasion for fraternal communion, a school of service to others, especially the most disadvantaged and needy. Do not let yourselves be paralyzed by difficulties, but always set out in search of the plan that God has for each one of you.
With these hopes, I assure you of my prayerful remembrance and, while I entrust everyone to the protection of the Virgin Mary and Saint George, I ask you to please pray for me, and I heartily send my Blessing.
Rome, Saint John Lateran, 1 August 2024
FRANCIS
Source; https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2024/08/25/0629/01280.html
Image Older File photo of Pope Francis with Scouts from Vatican Media
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