Statement Regarding Archdiocesan Transition from Girl Scouts to American Heritage Girls By Archbishop Joseph F Naumann

[gracepoole]

I’ve found long ago there is no point in arguing with those “Catholics” that will bend over backwards to defend issues in which they are in disagreement with the Church on, so I will remove myself from this discussion.

That’s nice, but it’s a complete misrepresentation of the conversation.

 

[Brendan]

This topic has come up before.

GSUSAA’s reply:

girlscouts.org/en/faq/faq/social-issues.html

Which is part of the reason that the bishop is removing GSUSA from the diocesan property. The GSUSA is a secular organization, that is officially neutral on many moral issues. There exist other orgs that are fully inline with the Church on those same issues.

So, as he said, “We have a limited time and number of opportunities to impact the formation of our young people. It is essential that all youth programs at our parishes affirm virtues and values consistent with our Catholic faith”

There are quite a number of issues where the Church places no value on neutrality.

Or, as Dr Martin Luther King Jr once stated:" The hottest place in Hell is reserved for those who remain neutral in times of great moral conflict."

And, in other cases, like transgender youth, the GSUSA is directly opposed to Church teaching.

GSUSA is one member of WAGGGS, out of 145, similar to the United States being a member of the United Nations.

No money from membership dues or cookie sales goes to WAGGGS.

Sorta, GSUSA gains hundreds of thousands in licensing from the cookie outsourcers. They pay GSUSA for the rights to use their logo on the cookies. That cost is baked in ( no pun) into the cost of the cookies sold, but goes into the GSUSA general fund, some of which is then used to pay WAGGGS.

So it would be untruthful to say that the money exchanged in the sale of a box of cookies does not benefit WAGGGS.

And, of they were truly neutral on the matter of abortion, then they would, by definition, disengage from membership in orgs that specifically advocated for abortion services.

And then there is this point:

While I am grateful that offensive and completely age-inappropriate material was recently removed by GSUSA from portions of their Journey series of manuals in response to concerns raised by the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas and others, it is disturbing such an intervention on our part was necessary.

The GSUSA was either clueless or malicious when it provided such anti-Catholic content in the Journey books. Neither excuse speaks well of the organization and it’s ability to competently grow character in young girls.

 

[gracepoole]

Or, as Dr Martin Luther King Jr once stated:" The hottest place in Hell is reserved for those who remain neutral in times of great moral conflict."

Parents whose daughters participate in Girl Scouting (which offers Catholic recognitions for girls at every age level) are going to hell?

And, in other cases, like transgender youth, the GSUSA is directly opposed to Church teaching.

Because it doesn’t shun transgendered youth? Doesn’t sound anti-Catholic to me.

Sorta, GSUSA gains hundreds of thousands in licensing from the cookie outsourcers. They pay GSUSA for the rights to use their logo on the cookies. That cost is baked in ( no pun) into the cost of the cookies sold, but goes into the GSUSA general fund, some of which is then used to pay WAGGGS.

From GSUSA’s web site:

The national funds that GSUSA sends to WAGGGS come solely from investment income.

The GSUSA was either clueless or malicious when it provided such anti-Catholic content in the Journey books. Neither excuse speaks well of the organization and it’s ability to competently grow character in young girls.

And this “anti-Catholic content” was…?

 

[ProdigalSun]

This topic has come up before.

GSUSAA’s reply:

girlscouts.org/en/faq/faq/social-issues.html

GSUSA itself has no relationship to PP.

GSUSA is one member of WAGGGS, out of 145, similar to the United States being a member of the United Nations.

No money from membership dues or cookie sales goes to WAGGGS.

No they do not send money to PP but that is not the issue is it!! They issue is what they teach and allow their girls to be formed by.

1. Margaret Sanger and Gloria Steinem are reprehensible role models for young Girls.
2. LInking to PP website where abortion and and sex is glorified is not suitable for young girls.
3. GSUSA is not a catholic org. supporting something like AHG is much more respectable for the Church.

 

[ProdigalSun]

Parents whose daughters participate in Girl Scouting (which offers Catholic recognitions for girls at every age level) are going to hell?

Because it doesn’t shun transgendered youth? Doesn’t sound anti-Catholic to me.

From GSUSA’s web site:

And this “anti-Catholic content” was…?

 

[Brendan]

Parents whose daughters participate in Girl Scouting (which offers Catholic recognitions for girls at every age level) are going to hell?

The Catholic Church makes no claim in that regard, especially about individuals. I was peaking, of course, of the organization itself though. . Dr King, was, of course, a Protestant, but many people value his moral theology.

Of course, he based that off of Rev 3:16, with an additional reference to Dante’s Inferno.

Because it doesn’t shun transgendered youth? Doesn’t sound anti-Catholic to me.

It denies the truth of their ontological existence as understood by the Catholic Church. So the GSUSA is participating in a falsehood when it labels a boy as a girl.

Is GSUSA doing what Pope Francis called for in Amoris Laetitia?

Beyond the understandable difficulties which individuals may experience, the young need to be helped to accept their own body as it was created, for ‘thinking that we enjoy absolute power over our own bodies turns, often subtly, into thinking that we enjoy absolute power over Creation.’

From GSUSA’s web site:

Yep, licensing revenue is considered to be investment income.

And this “anti-Catholic content” was…?

To start with, there is the example given by the Archbishop

Margaret Sanger, Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem are frequently held up in materials as role models for young Scouts. These as well as many other “role models” in the GSUSA’s new manuals and web content not only do not reflect our Catholic worldview but stand in stark opposition to what we believe.

And there are also the new Journey books

For example, the play “Simply Maria”

It’s got a great review on pg 51 of the aMuze book (grade 4-5). here is how the author portrays Catholic Marriage

PRIEST. Dearly beloved, we are gathered here, under the Catholic church, in the holy house of God, to unite these two people in holy matrimony. Marriage is sacred. It is the unification of a man and a woman, their love and commitment, forever, and ever, and ever, no matter what! Well, then let’s begin.

María, do you accept José Juan Gonzalez García López as your lawfully wedded husband to love cherish, serve, cook for, clean for, sacrifice for, have his children, keep house, love him, even if he beats you, commits adultery, gets drunk, rapes you, lawfully, denies your identity, money, and in return ask for nothing? (MARIA thinks about it and then turns to her parents who mouth to her “I do.”)

MARIA. I do.

PRIEST. Very good. Now, José. Do you accept María García Gonzalez López as your lawfully wedded wife to support?

JOSE. Simón, que yes.

PRIEST. Good. Well, if there is anyone present who is opposed to the union of these two people, speak now, or forever hold your truth.

(RICARDO stands up, takes out a gun, and brandishes it to the audience.) Do you have the ring? (JOSE takes out a golden dog collar. )

The PRIEST gives it his blessings: 5, 6, 7, 8. By the power vested in me, under the Catholic church, in the holy house of God, I pronounce you man and wife.

(The THREE GIRLS take away MARIA’s veil and bouquet. They place the dog collar around MARIA’s neck. Then they get the wedding lasso and tie it around her to make the collar seem and work like a leash.0

PRIEST speaks to JOSE.)

(The lasso is given to JOSE. He pulls MARIA, who gets on her hands and knees. They walk down the aisle like dog and master. The wedding march plays, people begin to leave. Lights fade out.)

PRIEST:You may pet the bride.

Great view of the Church, and given high acclaim in a book for young girls

They also had a link to the PP\NOW site “WomensMedia Center” pg 71 of the MEdia book

After the Church complained, GSUSA promised to reprint the books.

But the fact that they were in their at all doesn’t speak well for any claim to neutrality.

Even after they changed the books, there were still problems.

Anna Maria Chavez (then CEO of GSUSA) did a magazine interview, and publicized it up on the GSUSA website, directing the girls towards the magazine.

The problem was, the magazine was ‘Marie Clare’, the young adult version of Cosmo.

The GSUSA was directing young girls towards a magazine whose feature article that month was " Anal is the new Oral"

Yes, they pulled THAT link down too when the NFCYM complained. But they question is, why do they keep doing this?. Did no one at GSUSA actually look at the cover of the magazine, or investigate what the magazine entailed when they promoted it, or even allowed their CEO in interview for it.??

Yes, each time they removed the anti-Catholic content. But, as the Archbishop noted, it was disturbing that it was there in first place.

Did it get put there because of cluelessness, or was it deliberate? Either way, it does not speak well of GSUSA.

 

[MaryT777]

No they do not send money to PP but that is not the issue is it!! They issue is what they teach and allow their girls to be formed by.

1. Margaret Sanger and Gloria Steinem are reprehensible role models for young Girls.
2. LInking to PP website where abortion and and sex is glorified is not suitable for young girls.
3. GSUSA is not a catholic org. supporting something like AHG is much more respectable for the Church.

Exactly. It’s really that simple and I believe the Archbishop is spot on!