St. Louis Archdiocese Urges Catholics Not To Support Girl Scouts - Newsy

In the midst of Girl Scout Cookie season, St. Louis' archdiocese is urging Catholics to avoid joining the girls' group or even making purchases from it. Concerns from church leadership include the Girl Scouts' affiliations with groups that support contraceptives, homosexuality, and abortion and transgender rights. In a public letter, the city's archbishop wrote, "Girl Scouts is exhibiting a troubling pattern of behavior and it is clear to me that as they move in the ways of the world it is becoming increasingly incompatible with our Catholic values." Roughly 4,000 Girl Scouts in St. Louis belong to troops affiliated with Catholic schools and parishes. The chief executive for the area's Girl Scout chapter told The New York Times the archdiocese's concerns "misrepresent how Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri serves girls in our community." She added issues related to sexuality or reproduction aren't discussed in the chapter "as these matters are best discussed within the family." For its part, the archdiocese hasn't cut ties between any of its parishes and Girl Scout troops. It is, however, reportedly looking for alternative groups to promote. This video includes clips from the Archdiocese of St. Louis and Girl Scouts and images from Getty Images. Sources: Girl Scouts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxbDsCNF3xw Archdiocese of St. Louis http://archstl.org/files/field-file/Scout%20Letter%202%2018%2016.pdf Getty Images http://www.gettyimages.com/license/467578621 The New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/26/us/girl-scout-cookies-st-louis-catholics.html The New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/26/us/girl-scout-cookies-st-louis-catholics.html Archdiocese of St. Louis http://archstl.org/scouting Archdiocese of St. Louis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFkLoOjUgoo Girl Scouts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brQesAP7N_8 ------------------------------------- Newsy is your source for concise, unbiased video news and analysis covering the top stories from around the world. With persistent curiosity and no agenda, we strive to fuel meaningful conversations by highlighting multiple sides of every story. Newsy delivers the news and perspective you need without the hype and bias common to many news sources. See more at http://www.newsy.com/ Like Newsy on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/newsyvideos/