Africa Association of German Catholics
| African Association of German Catholics (AVdK) |
|
|---|---|
| founding | 1888 |
| Seat | Cologne |
| resolution | May 18, 1920 |
| main emphasis | Catholic Mission in Africa |
| Chair | Cathedral Capitular Franz Karl Hespers |
The Africa Association of German Catholics was founded in Cologne in 1888 so that "dark paganism with its atrocities would be banished from their midst". He was under the protection of the Archbishop of Cologne .
The founders of the association found inspiration in the French "anti-slavery movement", founded by Cardinal Lavigerie . Lavigerie, Archbishop of Carthage and Primate of Africa had supposedly initiated the movement to take action against the widespread slavery in Africa. Following this, the Africa Association of German Catholics also declared the "preservation and elevation of the population of Africa by suppressing the slave trade and slavery" to be an important principle. The missionaries supported by the association were supposed to work on site to counteract “slavery that degrades human beings”, as stated in a letter from the Archbishop of Cologne, Cardinal Philipp Krementz .
The actual goal of the association, however, was "the civilization of the negroes through conversion to Christianity". This clear call for Christian missionary work was firmly anchored in the statutes.
The tasks of the association were financed by donations. The money went to the various missionaries and projects in the German colonies in Africa, with the AVdK initially limited to German East Africa . In order to manage the finances of the association, a treasurer was elected to the administrative committee at each election. The Cologne bank director Johann Elkan held this post for years.
Almost 40 years after the dissolution, there were considerations to re-establish the Africa Association. This should not appear at the national level, but operate across Europe as the “Africa Association of European Catholics”. Such endeavors were never put into practice.
(Further reading
- Horst founder: Christian Mission and German Imperialism , Ferdinand Schöningh Verlag, Paderborn 1982
Footnotes
- ↑ a b c files "CR.22.27" and "CR.22.27II" of the historical archive of the Archdiocese of Cologne