Association Internationale des Charités

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The Association Internationale des Charités (AIC) ( English International Association of Charities ; Italian Associazione Internationale delle Carità and Spanish Asociación Internacional de Caridades ) is an international association of charitable associations within the Roman Catholic Church . It includes more than 150,000 members worldwide, primarily women , who work as volunteers in the fight against poverty and injustice and in helping those in need.

The association belongs to the spiritual family of Saint Vincent de Paul and is active in 53 countries in Africa , Asia , Europe , Latin America and the United States . In Germany he owns the Caritas-Konferenz Deutschlands e. V. (CKD).

In German, the Association Internationale des Charités is also known as the “International Association of Christian Charity” and is described as the “international association of women active in charitable work”.

"Caritas"

Vincent de Paul

The associations and groups organized in the AIC relate their name "Caritas" to the 1st letter of John , there it says: "Deus caritas est" ('God is love'; 4.8 EU ). Saint Vincent de Paul (1581-1660) understood the task of the first group of the Dames de la Charitè ( French for 'women of mercy'), which he founded in 1617, in the sense of active charity . The women's groups should provide material and spiritual help to needy families in their parishes in an organized manner. The groups called themselves Charités , created their own rules, carried out campaigns and supported the poor and the sick. The Charités Caritas conferences are called in German; the corresponding men's associations are called Vinzenz-Konferenz . In this way, charitable women's and men's associations emerged in the Roman Catholic Church, the goals of which were shaped by the idea of mercy .

history

The individual associations and groups of women working in charities ( Charités ) originally worked independently of one another in their respective countries, but felt closely linked to one another through their common orientation towards the ideals of St. Vincent de Paul. This gave rise to the idea of ​​founding an international association. In 1971 the international association of "Charités" was founded. As a non-governmental organization, it is represented as an advisory member of several international organizations . The Association Internationale des Charités has been accepted as an umbrella organization in the international Vincentian Family (FAMVIN). The first world congress of the AIC took place in Rome in 1973 under the motto “Promotion of social justice, support for the development of women”.

Self-image

The association consists mainly of women who organize themselves in groups. They want to fight against the various forms of poverty and injustice. Women are thus assigned an active and recognized social role in a spirit of solidarity . The help provided is not limited to material and financial support, they also offer spiritual support. The helpers strive to give the poorest a dignity that they should support with trust in themselves and their return to society . The focus of all charitable projects and individual measures is the “Vincentian lifestyle”.

Organization and dissemination

The Assembly of Delegates is the highest legal body of the AIC and meets every two years. It elects the council , which meets annually, and the executive board; it meets as required. The council appoints general secretary and treasurer . Geographically, the association is divided into the regions Africa (7 countries), Latin America (22 countries), Asia (6 countries), Europe (15 countries) and the USA. In 2003 the association had 44 full members, 3 associated members, 4 members in the foundation and 2 members in the planning project. In addition, there are 34 bilateral partnerships between individual associations or regions. There are 150,000 volunteers.

The AIC is organized under canon law as an international private association of believers . It was recognized by the Pontifical Council for the Laity as an international lay association and included in the list of international associations of the faithful .

German AIC members are the Caritas-Konferenz Deutschlands e. V. , which in turn belong to the German Caritas Association as a professional association for voluntary work .

The Association Internationale des Charités is not to be confused with the umbrella organization of the episcopal Caritas associations; in Germany this is rather the German Caritas Association and, as an international association of national Caritas associations, the Rome- based umbrella organization Caritas Internationalis . The Association Internationale des Charités is based in Louvain-la-Neuve in Belgium .

The executive board

It is elected by the Assembly of Delegates and is currently made up of the International President and the President for Latin America, who is directly dependent on her cooperation. Next up are the Vice President and Coordinator for International Cooperation, the Vice President and Coordinator for the US, the Treasurer and Treasurer, the Secretary General. The other board of directors includes six assessors , a church assistant and two spiritual advisors.

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ http://www.aic-international.org/en/who-we-are/our-history/
  2. ^ A b c Caritas conferences in Germany , worldwide in relationship . Presentation of the Caritas conferences in Germany on their website, accessed in July 2017.
  3. ↑ Website of the German Vincentians: Members of the Vincentian Family , accessed in July 2017.
  4. ^ The United Nations Non-Governmental Liaison Service (UN-NGLS)
  5. ^ Website of the Lazarists in Austria: Members of the Vincentian Family , accessed in July 2017.
  6. ↑ http://www.aic-international.org/en/who-we-are/vision-and-mission-2/
  7. ^ Alberto Vernaschi: Vincentian Family Associations: Juridical and Canonical Dimensions (Section II.2 and Note 22). In: Vincentian Encyclopedia (FAMVIN), accessed July 14, 2017.