Association of Catholic Entrepreneurs

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The Federation of Catholic Entrepreneurs (BKU) is an association to which about 1,100 owner-entrepreneurs, self-employed and executive employees belong. The BKU acts as an interface between business, church and politics and develops innovative concepts for economic and social policy and value-oriented management. The BKU is managed in the legal form of a registered association and is recognized as a non-profit organization. The association is based in Cologne. Since October 2017, the BKU has been led by the entrepreneur and theologian Ulrich Hemel .

history

The BKU was founded on March 29, 1949 in the Adam-Stegerwald-Haus in Königswinter . The aim was to make a contribution out of Christian responsibility in the reconstruction of the German economy and the establishment of a humane social order in post-war Germany. With the BKU, the socio-political and socio-ethical concerns of entrepreneurs should become public awareness. Right from the start, the BKU committed itself to the competitive performance of the market economy and the associated need for free but socially responsible entrepreneurship.

One of the main initiators of the founding of the association was the Archbishop of Cologne at the time, Joseph Cardinal Frings .

The founding chairman of the BKU was Franz Greiss, at that time the president of the Cologne Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The first board also included: Peter H. Werhahn , Werner Habig, Theophil Herder-Dorneich , Werner Linnemann, August Küster , Wilhelm Naegel and Peter Zettelmeyer .

The first managing director of the BKU was the economist Wilfrid Schreiber . His Schreiber Plan is considered to be the basis of the German pension system.

The first clerical advisor was the theologian and clergyman Joseph Höffner , who later became cardinal and archbishop of Cologne. On June 22, 1949, the BKU was registered as an association in the register of associations at the Cologne District Court under number 1915 .

With the basic and action program in 1971, a commitment was made to a free economic system, responsible entrepreneurship and to employees as "self-responsible personalities".

Members of the BKU were among the founders of the Cardinal Höffner Circle in Bonn in 1992 .

After membership in the BKU was initially only reserved for Catholic entrepreneurs, the association has meanwhile opened up to Christians of other denominations. Since then, Protestant Christians or members of a Christian Orthodox church who support the socio-political ideas of the BKU can also become members.

In the age of globalization and digital transformation, the BKU is working on the further development of Christian social teaching and the social market economy . The anniversary year 2019, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary, is therefore under the motto: "Social market economy in the 21st century - international, digital and ethical".

The BKU takes a position on current issues from the church, politics and society, for example in the context of the financial scandals in the Catholic Church in 2018.

organization

The BKU is a nationwide Catholic business association that is involved in 34 so-called diocesan groups at the regional level, based on the structure of the dioceses of the Roman Catholic Church in Germany .

The Christian social doctrine is the foundation of the association, the social market economy and the democratic constitutional state are part of its regulatory model. As a Catholic business association, the BKU acknowledges its responsibility to God and to people. On the basis of the above, the BKU reflects on the structural relationships between the economy and society and aligns its actions with them.

The BKU is a non-profit association with ideational objectives. It is not an employers' association and does not represent any commercial interests. In 1985, the BKU subsidiary Ordo Socialis - Scientific Association for the Promotion of Christian Social Teaching eV was founded with the aim of publishing important writings on Christian social teaching worldwide. The BKU is a co-initiator of the Jena Alliance for the Renewal of the Social Market Economy and the AFOS Foundation, which supports entrepreneurial development cooperation for small businesses and the emerging medium-sized businesses in developing and emerging countries. In addition, various commitments are pursued in the microfinance platform Germany.

The BKU has set itself the task:

  • on the one hand to work within the economy as Christians on the basis of the Catholic social doctrine, be it in your company or in organizations of economy and politics (BDA, BDI, IW, IHK, parliaments),
  • on the other hand, to contribute the expertise and experience of entrepreneurs at different levels within the Catholic Church ( Central Committee of German Catholics , Catholic Associations, Diocesan Councils).

The association is a member of the International Association of Christian Entrepreneurs (UNIAPAC) and an associated member of the Federal Association of German Employers' Associations (BDA) . He is also a member of the Working Group of Catholic Organizations in Germany (AGKOD) and is therefore represented in the Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK) .

Chairperson

  • Franz Greiß (1949–1965)
  • Albert Falke (1965–1969)
  • Eberhard Kloepfer (1969–1971)
  • Franz Greiß (1971–1973)
  • Rolf H. Kasteleiner (1973–1978)
  • Rüdiger Gattineau (1978–1979)
  • Cornelius-Georg Fetsch (1979–1993)
  • Mechthild Löhr (1993–1996)
  • Werner Then (1996-2001)
  • Marie-Luise Dött (2001-2017)
  • Ulrich Hemel (since October 2017)

Working groups

The working groups set up by the Federal Executive Board of the BKU work on the central content of the association and focus on current issues. They discuss innovative concepts on current issues in economic and social policy.

  • Ethical Leadership Working Group
  • Rethinking the Economy Working Group
  • Christian Spirituality Working Group
  • Working group on social order
  • Communication working group
  • Responsible Finance working group
  • International working group

There are also the groups “Young BKU” and “Women in the BKU”.

Known members

See also

literature

  • Wolfgang Ockenfels: 10 commandments for the economy. BKU, 2006, ISBN 3-00-019903-9 . ( Digitized version )
  • Werner Cordes: Entrepreneurs and Poverty in the World. An interview with the Association of Catholic Entrepreneurs. Catholic Academy, Schwerte 1990, ISBN 3-927382-07-8 .
  • Daniel Langhans (Ed.): Ways out of the crisis in the new federal states. Positions, proposals and activities of the Association of Catholic Entrepreneurs. Paulinus-Verlag, Trier 1991, ISBN 3-7902-5104-6 .
  • Lothar Roos (Ed.): The spiritual foundations of the BKU. Paulinus-Verlag, Trier 1992, ISBN 3-7902-5101-1 .
  • Klaus-Dieter Schmidt: Social justice through entrepreneurial initiative. Schöningh, Paderborn 1994, ISBN 3-506-70235-1 .
  • Heinrich Wullhorst: lighthouse or candle stub ? The Catholic Associations in Germany. Bonifatiusverlag, Paderborn 2017, ISBN 978-3-89710-713-7 .

Web link

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Klaus-Dieter Schmidt: Social justice through entrepreneurial initiative: the Association of Catholic Entrepreneurs 1949–1990 , Schöningh 1994, page 30
  2. ↑ a b c Heinrich Wullhorst: Lighthouse or candle stub ? The Catholic Associations in Germany . Bonifatiusverlag, Paderborn 2017, ISBN 978-3-89710-713-7 , p. 72 ff .
  3. ↑ a b c d e f The history of the BKU , website of the BKU, accessed on February 7, 2019
  4. ↑ Martin Lohmann: In search of the "C" - The "Cardinal Höffner Circle" (KHK) in Berlin: An idea from Bonn celebrates its birthday. In: tabularasamagazin.de. Retrieved January 21, 2019 .
  5. ↑ Evelyn Finger, Lisa Nienhaus: Ulrich Hemel: "You can set the clock accordingly: The next scandal is coming!" In: The time . February 18, 2018, ISSN  0044-2070 ( zeit.de [accessed February 7, 2019]).
  6. ↑ a b c home page. BKU - Bund Katholischer Unternehmer eV Accessed on February 7, 2019 .
  7. ↑ AFOS Foundation
  8. ^ Entry BKU , Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK) , accessed on August 5, 2016