The church sent out an email to Catholic families in the area.
In the letter, Cincinnati Archbishop Dennis Schnurr says while scouting is fundamentally good, the morals of the Girl Scouts do not align with the Catholic church.
"Unfortunately, in recent years, Girl Scouts of the USA has embraced and promoted an impoverished worldview regarding gender and sexuality. 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’s letter did not identify specific activities or badges he found objectionable.
The Girl Scouts partnered for years with religious groups like Catholic parishes.
The organization allows troops latitude in determining whether their activities, badges and rules are religious in nature.
The church says its partnership will finish at the end of next year.
In August 2024, Archbishop Schnurr endorsed the American Heritage Girls (AHG) as the “preferred scouting option for girls” in the archdiocese according to the archdiocese website.
The Girl Scouts released the following statement:
Girl Scouts of Western Ohio is—and always has been—a secular organization that welcomes girls of all faiths. Our membership includes girls and families of many faith traditions, and we believe that a part of girls’ healthy development is encouraging girls in their spiritual journey, through partnerships with their faith communities.
In Girl Scouts, every girl belongs. No matter her economic, social, racial or religious background, every girl is welcome in Girl Scouts. In Girl Scouting, with the support of her family and faith community, Girl Scouts have the opportunity to develop the critical thinking and decision-making skills they will need to act on the values of their faith in our complex world.
Late yesterday we received a notice from the Archdiocese of Cincinnati communicating their decision to end the valuable 100+ years of partnership between our organizations. We are deeply disappointed by this decision, as are thousands of Girl Scouts and dedicated volunteers across our council who value both their Catholic faith and the Girl Scout Leadership Experience.
We have been in conversation with the Office of Youth Ministries over the past two years and have had a strong working relationship for many years. We remain open to a mutually respectful dialogue, and we hope that the Archdiocese will return to the conversation so we can continue to work together to support the beneficial role each plays in developing youth and supporting families in our communities.
Our focus now is to support our Girl Scouts and dedicated volunteers of the Catholic faith in finding ways to continue their Girl Scout experience – including the ways in which Girl Scouts learn about and explore their faith traditions.
Girl Scouts, guided by caring adult leaders, and always with agreement of their parents or guardians, decide which activities to pursue each membership year — all based on individual and troop interests. We will be working with our volunteer leaders and other community members to ensure Girl Scouts continues to offer the wide range of activities, from outdoor experiences to STEM to life skills to entrepreneurship, that allows each girl to grow in courage, confidence, and character and make the world a better place.