OFFICIAL NAME
International Forum of Catholic Action
ACRONYM
IFCA
ESTABLISHED
1991
HISTORY
IFCA was established by the Catholic Action movements of Argentina, Spain, Austria, Malta, Mexico and Italy, following the 1987 Synod on the vocation and mission of the laity in the Church and in the world, and the publication of the Postsynodal Apostolic Exhortation Christifideles Laici. They felt the need to create a structure to enable associations and movements belonging to Catholic Action to meet, exchange and show solidarity, in terms of the new evangelisation. The IFCA constituent assembly was held in Rome in 1991. Between 1994 and 2000, the Forum promoted continental meetings, study weeks for young people and seminars. On 29 June 1995 the Pontifical Council for the Laity decreed recognition of the International Forum of Catholic Action as an international organisation of Pontifical Right.
IDENTITY
IFCA sets out to enable associations and federations of Catholic Action movements in different countries to get to know each other; to promote initiatives to support and develop the specific service that they are called to provide consistently with their identity, with all the variety of different forms they take due to their cultural, social and ecclesial contexts; to deepen the study of issues affecting the life and the mission of the Church at the universal, continental or regional levels; to establish forms of dialogue and cooperation with all the lay apostolate organisations at the international level; to represent the associations and federations of Catholic Action movements belonging to the Forum before the Holy See and civil international organisations.
ORGANISATION
IFCA is governed by the Assembly; the General Secretariat, made up of five lay members, normally national presidents, appointed by different countries and elected every three years by the ordinary Assembly; the Secretariat Coordinator. It is also planned to introduce a Youth Coordinator.
MEMBERSHIP
IFCA has 16 member countries, 10 observer countries and 4 countries in contact with it, distributed as follows: Africa (6), Asia (1), Europe (12), North America (3), and South America (8).
PUBLICATIONS
Newsletter, in Italian, French, English and Spanish.
WEB SITE
HEADQUARTERS
Forum Internazionale di Azione Cattolica
Via della Conciliazione, 1 - 00193 Rome - Italy
Tel. [+39]06.661321 - Fax 06.66132360
Email: fiac@azionecattolica.it - info@fiacifca.org
