Diocesan Resources
Questions and Answers About Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) and About Catholic Scouting (2014)
Questions and Answers About Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) and About Catholic Scouting
This Q & A is based on a dialogue between staff to the bishops’ Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth (LMFLY) and Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA). It contains information based on the dialogue as well as considerations offered by the LMFLY Committee. Guidance is also provided at the end of this resource in relation to strengthening all scouting programs. This resource is intended to assist Catholic leaders and parents and presupposes the authority of the diocesan bishop over Catholic scouting in his diocese. The information provided should not be taken as exhaustive but represents select points which the LMFLY Committee found important to consider. Further questions should be directed to the appropriate contacts in the diocese.
While Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) is a secular organization, GSUSA has had a long cooperative relationship with the Catholic Church in the United States. In recent years, significant questions have been raised concerning Girl Scouts, which have, in turn, raised questions about Catholic participation in Girl Scouting.
The questions can be grouped around three areas: (1) GSUSA’s relationship with organizations such as Planned Parenthood and GSUSA’s relationship to its international affiliate the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS); (2) GSUSA’s policy on matters pertaining to human sexuality, contraception, and abortion; and (3) GSUSA programmatic materials and resources and questions about inappropriate content.