International Federation of Catholic Associations for the Blind

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The International Federation of Catholic Associations for the Blind ( French : Fédération Internationale des Associations Catholiques d'Aveugles, abbreviation: FIDACA ) is an international Catholic organization. It was founded in Switzerland in 1981 and recognized as such by the Holy See in 1988 . The seat is Landschlacht TG . The federation has 17 associated members from 15 countries.

history

It was founded in 1981 and came from an initiative from the 1980s. In Landschlacht (Switzerland) the Catholic Blind Associations of Belgium , France , Germany , Austria , Italy and Switzerland united to form the International Federation. The founding event was held at the Landschlacht International Blind Center and was chosen to be the headquarters of the Federation. In October 1988, the Federation was recognized as an international Catholic lay organization by the Pontifical Council for the Laity as an association of the faithful and was included in the official register .

Self-image

The aims of the federation include: The promotion of blind people in spiritual, ethical, cultural, social and material terms. Active participation in the life and mission of the Church through apostolate and Christian life witness. The establishment and further development of Catholic associations for the blind in cooperation with local church offices and national bishops' conferences . And fraternal collaboration with blind people and their associations in countries with which there is development cooperation. To achieve these goals, pilgrimages , seminars , various publications and other suitable forms of community care are organized and carried out. The statutes show that the association “firmly believes that also and especially visually impaired and blind people have the task, together with others, to shape the one world that has been given to us for the better, through international solidarity campaigns and local commitment should be encouraged in it. "

Organization and expansion

The highest organ is the general assembly , which must take place every four years. The board of directors consists of the delegates of the member associations and meets every two years. The five-person board of directors is appointed by the board of directors and, as the executive committee, manages day-to-day business. It is headed by a president, assisted by three vice-presidents, a general secretary, the treasurer and the church assistant , who is also the pastor for the blind . While the headquarters are located in Landschlacht, the secretariat is in Paris . FIDACA members can be any association for the blind or for the blind that actively supports the goals according to the statutes and is recognized by their respective responsible bishops' conference. FIDACA consists of 17 organizations for the blind from 15 countries, of which 9 come from Europe , 4 countries from Africa and 2 countries from South America . From Germany the "German Catholic Association for the Blind" is a member.

literature

  • The Spiritual Communities of the Catholic Church - Compendium (No. 54, International Federation of Catholic Associations for the Blind, pp. 161–163), St. Benno-Verlag , Leipzig 2006, ISBN 3-7462-1995-7 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Internationales Blindenzentrum Landschlacht (IBZ) Archive link ( Memento from October 18, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
  2. ↑ German Catholic Work for the Blind (kbwn) [1]