The Cincinnati Archdiocese will once again welcome Girl Scouts of Western Ohio troops to local Catholic campuses.
The two organizations announced a new memorandum of understanding at a Tuesday news conference.
The renewed relationship comes almost a year after then-Archbishop Dennis Schnurr said in a letter to local Catholics that ideological differences around gender and sexuality forced the archdiocese to cut ties with the Girl Scouts.
The announcement caused disappointment among local scout leaders.
Schnurr retired earlier this year. Current Archbishop Robert Casey said the organizations have engaged in dialogue allowing for a new partnership.
"Despite our differences, we remain committed to finding common ground," he said at the news conference. "What unites us is a shared commitment to the flourishing of young women and a hope for their future."
The MOU states that "GSWO agrees that its employees, agents and volunteers shall not in any way advocate or promote a policy, program, resource, view, or position that contradicts or undermines Archdiocese policy or Catholic teaching on faith or morals related to their services or programs for the troops and groups that are registered to meet at Catholic facilities."
Under the MOU, Girl Scout troops must get approval from their parish pastor to meet on Archdiocese grounds. Each troop must also sign a facility use agreement. Casey says the new arrangement brings "clarity."
Girl Scouts of Western Ohio serves roughly 28,000 girls in 32 Ohio and Indiana counties. The organization says it is a secular group that welcomes girls from all faiths.
President and CEO Aimée Sproles says the MOU is an example for scouts and the entire community about how to work through differences.
"It doesn't necessarily mean each of us changed who we are and our identity," Sproles said. "We ... have so much in common, so much we focus on, to make sure that girls thrive. They need that from their communities more than ever now."
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