On 28–29 October, I had the joy of participating — on behalf of ICCS, together with representatives of Scout associations from Jordan, Belgium, and France, as well as ICCG — in the commemoration of the sixtieth anniversary of Nostra aetate, the historic declaration of the Second Vatican Council on the Church’s relations with non-Christian religions. Over these six decades, this brief yet luminous text has opened paths of encounter, respect, and fraternity that have profoundly transformed the way we look at one another — believers of different traditions, yet pilgrims of the same humanity.
In his address, Pope Leo placed at the heart of his reflection the dialogue with the Samaritan woman, recalling that “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” In that encounter by the well, Jesus transcends cultural, gender, and religious boundaries — inviting us to recognize the thirst for God that dwells in every human being. This is also the essence of interreligious dialogue: to seek together, with humility and reverence, the Mystery that surpasses us all.
It was deeply moving to see, in St Peter’s Square, representatives of the most diverse religions standing side by side amid a vast crowd of pilgrims. The joint presence of leaders and faithful from different traditions was, in itself, a living and eloquent testimony to the spirit of Nostra aetate: the conviction that mutual respect and friendship among believers are not only possible but essential for building peace.
The Pope recalled that Nostra aetate was born from a desire for reconciliation and friendship, beginning with the relationship with the Jewish people and extending to all religious traditions. He stressed that, since then, the Church has firmly rejected all forms of antisemitism, discrimination, and persecution. He invited us to renew our commitment to “act together,” especially in the face of today’s challenges: threatened peace, human suffering, care for our common home, and the ethical use of new technologies.
Scouting, by its very nature and method, is a privileged space of friendship among people of different cultures and religions — and also among those with no religious affiliation. Around the same campfire, we learn to listen, to respect, and to collaborate. We live out, in the concreteness of daily life, what Nostra aetate envisioned: the discovery that authentic faith does not divide but draws people together; it does not exclude but builds bridges.
In this same spirit, ICCS remains firmly committed, as an integral part of the World Organization of the Scout Movement, to promoting friendship, dialogue, and cooperation among children, young people, and adults of all religious traditions — convinced that peace is born in the heart of each person and flourishes when we walk side by side. Sixty years later, Nostra aetate continues to serve as a true compass for our common journey — a call to make Scouting a genuine laboratory of universal fraternity, where we recognize that we are brothers and sisters because we share the same Father, as beautifully expressed in the first principle of the Scout Movement: duty to God!