“Through some of their activities, resources, badges and awards, Girl Scouts – including the local chapter, Girl Scouts of Western Ohio – has contributed to normalizing a sexual and gender ideology contrary to the Catholic understanding of the human person made male and female in the image and likeness of God,” Schnurr said.
He did not specify in the letter which of the Girl Scouts badges and activities, following a 2012 U.S. bishop investigation into the Girl Scouts, the local archdiocese was told to reach individual understandings with local Girl Scout chapters. The Archdiocese of Cincinnati and the Girl Scouts of Western Ohio reached an understanding in 2016, but additional concerns were identified in 2021. Since then, the two organizations reached an impasse.
The Girl Scouts of the USA website says the national organization does not have a position regarding human sexuality, birth control or abortion, and does not have relationship with Planned Parenthood. They also handle admitting transgender youth on a case-by-case basis.
In August, Schnurr endorsed the American Heritage Girls as the “preferred scouting option for girls.” The AHG is associated broadly with Christianity and Schnurr said its views do not contradict the Catholic Church’s.
“Our greatest responsibility as the Catholic Church is fidelity to the Gospel and sharing the saving mission of Christ,” Schnurr said in the letter. “It is therefore essential that all youth programs at our parishes and schools affirm virtues and values consistent with the teaching of Jesus Christ.”
The timetable to conclude the partnership will be the next 14 months, Schnurr said, by the end of calendar year 2025.
According to the Girl Scouts website, at least a handful of southwest Ohio Girl Scout troops operate out of Catholic schools or parishes.
By the end of 2025, troops operating at a Catholic campus need to either convert to an American Heritage Girls troop, find another location to meet or disband.
The Girl Scouts of Western Ohio said it is “deeply disappointed by this decision” in a statement released Tuesday.
The statement goes on to say that the focus of the Girl Scouts will remain on supporting its members “in finding ways to continue their Girl Scout experience — including the ways in which Girl Scouts learn about and explore their faith traditions.”
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