Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann
The Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kansas has become the latest U.S. diocese to question whether the Girl Scouts is the right fit for youth after Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann put out a call to priests, parents and scout leaders to assess whether other scouting organizations might be a better fit for forming youth.
Breitbart’s Dr. Susan Berry is reporting that both the Archbishop and the Office of Evangelization and Catholic Formation for Youth are concerned about both GSUSA and its international umbrella organization, theWorld Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS).
According to an article posted on the diocese’s website by the Catholic Committee on Scouting, the Archdiocese has become increasingly concerned about the direction the Girls Scouts are taking.
“Archbishop Naumann, through his Presbyteral Council (priest advisory council to the Archbishop) and the Youth Office, is asking priests, Girl Scout leaders and concerned parents to meet and discuss these deep concerns about WAGGGS, the role models that are held up in the Girl Scout materials, website and blogs, and the prudence of supporting and funneling our children into a world view that is often in opposition to fundamental Catholic beliefs,” the article states.
“Second, the Archdiocese is asking the same groups to consider whether other organizations might better fit the Catholic mission for forming our youth and providing the same social experiences provided in Girl Scouting, i.e. field trips, socials, over-night events, camping and other experiences for leadership development. The Archdiocese appreciates and values Catholic Girl Scout leaders and members, but we must review these troublesome realities and make informed and prayerful decisions about future formation offerings in our Catholic parishes.”
The Archdiocese is particularly concerned with GSUSA’s relationship with WAGGGS, an organization that is closely tied to International Planned Parenthood and advocates for women’s health legislation that specifically include artificial contraception and abortion as a “right” of all women. GSUSA contributes more than one million dollars a year to WAGGGS and offers numerous international “experiences” for older scouts.
In addition, GSUSA printed materials list figures such as Margaret Sanger, Betsy Friedan and Gloria Steinem as role models for girls.
As Dr. Berry reports, recent months have seen even more scandal erupt over the Girl Scouts such as the revelation that its spokesman, Josh Ackley, was a member of a “homopunk” band that made videos depicting a woman being strangled a man feigning sex acts. GSUSA only made matters worse when it replaced Ackley with Kelly Parisi, former VP of Marketing at the Ms. Foundation, an organization founded in 1973 by Gloria Steinem.
The group also came under fire for hiring Krista Kokjohn-Poehler, a lesbian married to Ashley Kokjohn, for a job titled “Girl Experience Officer.”
In addition, an uproar ensued over the Girl Scouts’ promotion of Texas gubernatorial and virulently pro-abortion candidate Wendy Davis (D) as an “incredible” women who deserved to be on the “women of the year list,” a move that triggered a national boycott of Girl Scout cookies this year.
But this is just the events of the last few months. The Archdiocese has published a “Timeline of Activity on the Concerns Surrounding Girl Scouts of the USA” describing the extensive research into the group that began in 2008.
Although the Girl Scouts have not been banned from meeting on Church premises, the archbishop’s advisory council of priests is asking pastors to “present to both leaders and parents possible affiliation with organizations that are more consistent with traditional Catholic mission and values, such as American Heritage Girls, the Little Flowers, and Challenge.”
Last month, the Archdiocese of St. Louis also sent directives to their pastors asking them to consider faith-based scouting groups for their youth.
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