Pope Francis urges scout leaders to train young people with the testimony of their lives

Pope Francis sent a message to the Leaders of Agesci, an association of Catholic guides and scouts, whom he encouraged to educate primarily with their lives, rather than with words.

At the beginning of his message, the Holy Father urged them to seek the “enthusiasm of their faith in Jesus, Master and Friend, to continue with joy their human and spiritual path within the Church, bearing witness to the Gospel in society.”

Likewise, he hoped that the days of reflection, which ended on August 25 in Verona (Italy), will raise “awareness of how delicate your educational commitment is to children, adolescents and young people, who must be accompanied with wisdom and held with affection.”

This, according to the Holy Father, 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 an area in which evangelization germinates and bears fruit.”

In particular, Pope Francis continued, “it is about developing the capacity for listening and the art of dialogue, which are naturally anchored in 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 own existence becomes in tune with the heart of the Master.”

Later, he highlighted that formation is necessary to carry out the “missionary challenge”, just as Jesus did with the Apostles through the “formative interventions” that we read about in the Gospel.

In this sense, he highlighted the training impact of the life and behavior of the trainers, who “educate mainly with their lives, rather than with words.”

“The life of the trainer, his constant human and spiritual growth as a disciple of Christ, sustained by the grace of God, is a fundamental factor available to him to make his service to the young generations effective. In fact, his life itself bears witness to what his words and his works aim to convey in dialogue and formative accompaniment,” he stated.

The Holy Father referred to this association as an “important educational reality in the Church” and encouraged its members to make it “a gymnasium of Christian life, an occasion for fraternal communion, a school of service to others, especially to 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,” he concluded.