Thousands of European scouts make pilgrimage to France

ACI Prensa Staff, Nov 7, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

A total of 3,500 scouts and adult leaders from 13 European countries made a pilgrimage to the French town of Vézelay to “rebuild the kingdom of God with their own hands” and receive the strength of the Holy Spirit as they trekked along the roads of the Burgundy region.

The event marked the 50th edition of the historic pilgrimage, held Oct. 30–Nov. 2, and the theme for this year was “Called to an Apostolate of Beauty.”

Thousands of Rover Scouts (typically 18-26 years old) from all over Europe set out on the pilgrimage from eight different churches located about 25 miles from Vézelay, according to the Catholic scouting program Guides and Scouts of Europe’s website.

In 1976, barely a hundred young people participated in the first pilgrimage to Vézelay. Half a century later, this gathering of the Scouts of Europe has become an iconic event in the small Burgundy town.

The young pilgrims participated in Masses and camped outdoors as they passed through villages like Marigny, Cure, and Malassis, also inviting the locals to participate in the Masses.

For four days, the scouts hiked the roads in an atmosphere of silence, prayer, and fraternity, sharing the journey, Eucharistic adoration, community life, and listening to the advice of the leaders and chaplains on Christian commitment as they gathered around a campfire at night.

Coming to the event  from Switzerland, a youth named Grégoire told the Guides and Scouts of Europe that he experiences “something indescribable” every year and so he wanted to invite several friends to share the pilgrimage.

The scouts were able to visit the small town of Paray-le-Monial, where Jesus Christ revealed to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque his Sacred Heart. In addition, on Oct. 30, 1,300 Rover Scouts gathered in front of the church in Anzy-le-Duc.

After four days of walking, the pilgrims arrived at St. Mary Magdalene Basilica in Vézelay to participate in the traditional vigil, followed by Eucharistic adoration, while several priests heard confessions by the pillars in the church.

Upon entering the basilica, the young Scouts of Europe knocked on the door of the church with their walking sticks, sang the “Kyrie des gueux” (“Poor hungry pilgrims begging for sustenance”), from a traditional song inspired by an old German military hymn “Wir zogen in das Feld,” composed in 1540. 

Finally, on Sunday, Nov. 2, Archbishop Pascal Wintzer of Sens-Auxerre sent the Rover Scouts out to bear witness to the strength they had received in Vézelay, even amid difficulties. “The Christian faith is not an insurance policy that protects us from life’s trials,” he exhorted during the closing Mass.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Source: https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/267657/thousands-of-european-scouts-make-pilgrimage-to-france