What is the ICCS?
The aim of the ICCS is to contribute to the comprehensive education of young people through Scouting from the point of view of the Catholic faith:
By developing and strengthening the spiritual dimension of Scouting, in friendly cooperation with the religions represented within Scouting, within the unity and diversity of the World Scout Movement.
By ensuring the active presence of Catholic Scouts within the Church, both within Catholic associations and “open” associations.
By guaranteeing communication between the Catholic Church and the World Scout Movement.
A Place to Come Together
The ICCS exists because of the shared wish of its members to meet in place where they can share ideas and discuss. It provides the opportunity for friendly and open international dialogue.
The ICCS also offers a Church experience in the community sense of the word. It sparks common actions and meetings between young people or leaders from the various Catholic movements and committees.
The ICCS develops and promotes a spirit of brotherhood and mutual understanding between the Catholic Scouts of the whole world.
A representative organisation
The ICCS is the representative organisation which ensures the institutional link between the World Organisation of Scout Movements (WOSM) and the Catholic Church. It ensures, at all levels, positive and open interactions between the Scout Movement and the various bodies of the Catholic Church.
The ICCS has been given the mission by the Catholic Church of taking care of the Catholic Scouts within the Scout Movement, and of developing amicable links with the Scouts from other religions.
In that respect, it acts from a Catholic point of view to develop and enrich the spiritual dimension of Scouting, while respecting the unity and diversity of the World Scout Movement. It is at the service of the whole Scout Movement.
The ICCS promotes the active participation of Catholic Scouts in all of the Church’s mission in all the communities where Catholic Scouting is present (parishes, schools, dioceses, episcopal conferences…). It deals with the training of spiritual counsellors and responds to the requests of its members.
The ICCS works in close partnership with the ICCG (International Catholic Conference of Guiding) which brings together the Catholic associations within Guiding.
A Place for Training and Information
The ICCS enables the Catholic Scout Associations and the Catholic Committees within open associations to reinforce and deepen their educational project, especially in its spiritual dimension.
It provides training and information through workshops and seminars, publications and documents which deal with the spiritual dimension of Scout education.
A place for dialogue
The ICCS, wherever there are Catholic associations or groups, has the ambition of enabling the implementation of dialogue and collaboration with the other religions and faiths present withing Scouting.
The aim of the ICCS
As stated in article 1 of its Statutes, the aim of the ICCS is to “develop an educational process that enhances the personal spiritual dimension of young Catholics in line with the aims, principles and methods of the Scout movement”.
How Does the ICCS Work ?
The ICCS is made up of a World Council and a World Committee.
The World Council is the governing body of the ICCS. Every three years, it brings together the delegates from its member organisations. It decides on the actions that need taking and on the new members. The World Council elects four members for three years. These four members have the roles of president, vice-president, secretary and treasurer. The World Committee is made up of the four elected members, of the presidents of the regional committees and of the World Chaplain. The World Chaplain is named by the president following a proposal from the World Committee and confirmation by the Vatican. The World Committee is the executive body of the ICCS.
Current members of the World Committee 2021-2024
President: Georges El-Ghorayeb
Vice President: Marco Aurélio Castrianni
General Secretary: Marcel Ledjou BLAGUET
Treasurer: Matteo Spanò
President Africa region: Marcelin Henry Diene
President Asia Pacific region: Iimori Yasunobu
President Euro Med : Rui Teixeira
President Inter-American : Nicolas Nava
World Chaplain : Luis Marinho
St. George Fraternity
The St. George Fraternity honours men and women, clerics and laypersons, who have provided an extraordinary contribution to the promotion of Catholic Scouting around the world and within the World Organisation of Scout Movements.