« I feel a great joy that I am to serve Scouting at an international level, and make a specific contribution as a priest of the Catholic Church. It is, therefore, a pastoral mission that the Church entrusts to me with. It especially underlines the confidence of the Catholic Church in the Scout movement and pedagogy. Catholic literally means universal: it is a personal challenge for me to be able to experience this catholicity in direct contact with Scouts from all over the world, in their different cultural traditions and organizational structures within Scouting and within the Church. With the deep conviction that faith in Jesus Christ is enlightened and enriched with all human experiences. On the other hand, I send my immense gratitude to Fr. Jacques Gagey (my predecessor in this mission) who for 8 years was able to imprint a new dynamism and ardour in the life of ICCS itself with his contacts to so many national Scout organizations and their respective local Churches. »
New ICCS world chaplain – Fr. Luis Marinho
