Icmica Statutes

INTERNATIONAL CATHOLIC MOVEMENT FOR INTELLECTUAL AND CULTURAL AFFAIRS

(PAX ROMANA)

As amended by the 29th Plenary Assembly in Poland in July 2004

Chapter 1 – General Provisions

Article 1

The International Catholic Movement for Intellectual and Cultural Affairs (ICMICA) is an international association of the faithful, with private juridical personality according to canons 298-311 and 321-329 of the Code of Canon Law. It is governed by applicable canonical rules in force and by the following statutes. It also constitutes an Association for civil purposes in the sense of articles 60 to 79 of the Swiss Civil Code. The office is located in Geneva, Switzerland.

ICMICA will maintain continuous relationships with the Secretariat of state for all matters concerning the presence and activity in International Organizations (cf. Apostolic Constitution Pastor Bonus, art 41 # 2)

Article 2

ICMICA comes from the tradition of Pax Romana, an association of Catholic students founded in Fribourg, Switzerland in 1921 and approved by a letter from Cardinal Gasparri to Max Gressly, President of the “International Union of Catholic Students” of 5 June 1921.

ICMICA was founded in the years 1946 as the graduate branch of Pax Romana and the original statutes were approved by a letter from Cardinal Pizzardo to Monsignor Francois Charriere, Bishop of Lausanne, Fribourg and Geneva, of 18 June 1948.

ICMICA is also recognised in the tradition of Specialised Catholic Action. ICMICA is also characterised by methodologies, which include, among others, see-judge-act, applied according to the various contexts in which it is present.

Article 3

The identity of ICMICA is self defined as being a lay Catholic movement composed of professionals and intellectuals with a spirituality of action to the service of human dignity and the common good in human society. Its members, as professionals and intellectuals, seek to bear witness to the Kingdom of God through their life and their commitment in the various contexts in which they are present, to share the Gospel in the environments to which they are committed and to contribute to the building up and renewal of the Church at the local and universal level.

Article 4

Relations between IMCS and ICMICA, which constitute the two branches of Pax Romana, are governed by their respective statutes and by any cooperation agreement entered into.

Article 5

The aims of ICMICA are, to the full extent of its strength and competence, to:

a) support the deepening of the faith and the coherence of life of its members;

b) support the process of constant formation of its members in spiritual matters, in commitment, and in professional and intellectual matters by way of exchange of experiences, shared study, openness to the Word of God and the celebration of, and participation in, the life of the ecclesial community, in communion with the local Church, in which it is present, and with the universal Church;

c) serve as witness of the Gospel in the various communities and environments with which it is involved and to contribute intellectually and professionally to a proactive dialogue between the Christian faith and cultures, and between faith and reason;

d) act in defence of human dignity and human rights, for the construction of true peace on earth, for the eradication of all forms of poverty and injustice, and for sustainable development in harmony with nature;

e) pursue all its works on behalf of society in the light of the Social Teachings of the Church, and especially through the professional and intellectual contributions of its members;

f) contribute to the path of ecumenism seeking the growth of communion between all Churches and Christian communities; and to be in dialogue, peace and understanding among religions.

CHAPTER II – Membership

Article 6

The International Catholic Movement for Intellectual and Cultural Affairs is composed of

• Constituent members,
• Corresponding members,
• Individual members.

Article 7

Constituent members are inter-professional organisations recognised by the Hierarchy, grouping either directly or indirectly the Catholic intellectual and cultural leaders of a particular country or nation and guaranteeing to each grouping its free representation.

Corresponding members are those inter-professional organisations, recognised by the Hierarchy, which do not have, in the opinion of the Council, the characteristics required to be constituent members. Individual members are those persons asking to join the movement directly and who get approval from the Council.

Article 8

The Council may periodically examine its Membership and propose to the Plenary Assembly a change in the status of any Member should it deem this appropriate.

Article 9

Persons and institutions who contribute to the support of the Movement may be named benefactors by the Plenary Assembly on the advice of the Council.

CHAPTER III – Movement board and agencies

Article 10

The directing agencies of the Movement are :

• the Plenary Assembly;
• the Council.

The technical agencies of the Movement are :

• the General Secretariat; and
• the Specialised International Secretariats.

Article 11

The Plenary Assembly consisting of the Membership of the Movement present and eligible to vote is the supreme agency of the Movement. It meets usually every four years, upon convocation by the Council, with a minimum notification of four months.

a) elects a Chairman and one or several Vice-Chairmen to direct it’s-work;

b) elects the Presidents, the Vice-Presidents and the Members of the Council;

c) elects, upon recommendation of the Council, the Secretary General;

d) decides upon definitive admission which alone confers the right to vote and upon the exclusion of constituent members and of collective corresponding members;

e) discusses and approves the report and the program or activity presented by the Council, as well as the suggestions emanating from members of the Movement;

f) approves the accounts and votes the budget;

g) fixes the annual contribution of the constituent and corresponding members;

h) fixes the place and time of the next Assembly;

i) upon recommendation of the Council, decides upon the creation of Specialised International Secretariats, defines their prerogatives and fixes the general pattern of their organisation;

j) modifies the present statutes under the conditions set down in Art. 14;

k) chooses the headquarters of the Movement.

Article 13

Constituent members alone have a right to vote in the Plenary Assembly. Each country having one or more Constituent members will have as many votes as the country with the greatest number of Constituent members. Corresponding members, the Secretary General and the Treasurer shall attend without vote all meetings of the Assembly.

Article 14

Votes are expressed by a delegate or delegates who have received a mandate to that effect from the competent body of the Constituent Member which enjoys the rights to vote according to Art. 12. This mandate must be written; it is valid for the whole session of the Assembly.

Article 15

A simple majority of the votes of the members present or their authorised representatives is required for the decisions of the Plenary Assembly. The exclusion of members and the modification of the statutes, however, must be voted for by two-thirds of the members present or represented.

Members who have not fulfilled their financial obligations lose their right to vote, by a decision of the Plenary Assembly on recommendation by the Council.

Members who for more than one year have lost their right to vote may be suspended till the next Plenary Assembly by a decision of the Assembly on recommendation by the Council.

Article 16

The President shall be elected for four years by the Plenary Assembly on the proposal of the Council. The post of President is renewable.

The President shall:

• convoke the meetings of the Council and preside in its meetings;
• convoke the Plenary Assembly and preside over it until the election of the Chairman and any Vice- Chairmen;
• supervise the execution of the decisions taken by the Assembly and the Council;
• in case of emergency, take necessary action, in agreement with the Vice-Presidents and the Secretary General, until the next meeting of the Council.

If a vacancy occurs in the position of President between Plenary Assemblies, the Council shall appoint one of the Vice-Presidents to act as President until the next Assembly.

The Vice-Presidents shall be elected by the Plenary Assembly on the proposal of the Council. They shall be elected for a four-year term. The posts of Vice-Presidents are renewable. The Council may designate a grouping of Constituent and Corresponding Members in a particular geographic area to be a region. Each region may nominate to the Council one or more candidates for the position of Vice-President with responsibilities within that region. The Council will propose to the Plenary Assembly the candidates for the positions of Vice-President. If a vacancy occurs in a position of Vice-President between Plenary Assemblies, the Council may appoint a person from that region to act in that position for that particular term.

Article 18

The Council comprises of the President and up to fourteen other members, being the President and fourteen other members, being the Vice-Presidents and the Councillors.

The Councillors shall be the persons who are nominated by the Constituent members of those Member- organisations designated by the Plenary Assembly.

The Member-organisations who are to nominate Councillors shall be designated by the Plenary Assembly every four years.

The Secretary General and the Treasurer may take part in the Council deliberations but do not have the right to vote.

The Vice-Presidents have the right to vote.

The Ecclesiastical Assistant takes part in the Council with the right to speak and without the right to vote.

Article 19

The Council meets as a rule once a year upon convocation by the President.

Article 20

The representatives of Specialised Secretariats take part in Council meetings in a consultative capacity.

Article 21

The Council takes decisions in accord with a majority vote of the members present. In the case of a tie vote, the vote of the President prevails.

In matters to be decided urgently and when it is not practicable or expedient to convene a meeting of the Council the President may direct a poll of the members of the Council by correspondence and the effect of such a poll shall be the same as if the votes were cast at a meeting of the Council.

Article 22

The Council

a) takes all measures necessary for the activity of the Movement;

b) prepares for the Plenary Assembly, verifies the powers of the delegates, and supervises the execution of it’s decisions;

c) presents to the Plenary Assembly the candidates for the posts of President, Vice-Presidents and Secretary General;

d) appoints the Treasurer and the auxiliary personnel of the General Secretariat;

e) decides on the provisional admission of Constituent and Corresponding members, as well as on the admission and exclusion of individual members;

f) names the benefactors of the Movement;

g) proposes to the Plenary Assembly the Accounting Firm to be entrusted with the examination of the accounts;

h) appoints and accredits the Pax Romana – ICMICA representatives to international bodies and sets the criteria and priorities for the presence of Pax Romana – ICMICA in these bodies;

i) appoints and accredits the persons who will represent the Movement on, or in cooperation with, bodies of the Holy See. (Formal communication with the Holy See on behalf of the Movement will be undertaken by the President or Secretary General).

j) appoints the Ecclesiastical Assistant of the Movement. Such appointment requires having previously obtained the consensus by the Ordinary from which a Priest depends (cfr. CIC, can. 324 # 2)

In years in which no Plenary Assembly is held :

k) discusses and approves the program of activity submitted by the Secretary General;

l) approves the accounts and when necessary revises the budget.

If the Assembly cannot meet within the time prescribed, the Council continues to operate on the condition that it obtains ratification of its acts by the next Assembly.

Article 23

The General Secretariat is composed of the Secretary General and the auxiliary personnel, permanent or temporary.

Article 24

The Secretary General is a paid official, appointed as a rule for a period of four years. The post of Secretary General is renewable.His actions are fixed by specifications established by the Council.

Article 25

The management of funds, the keeping of accounts, the submitting of financial statements and the preparation of the first draft of the budget are entrusted to a Treasurer who is appointed by the Council, usually for a period of four years. The administration of the Treasurer is examined once a year by an Accounting Firm.

Article 26

The Ecclesiastical Assistant has the duty of conserving the spiritual base of the Movement and of developing among members the spirit of the apostolate. He guarantees the fidelity of the Movement to the Catholic Church. He attends at all meetings of the Movement.The Pontifical Council for the Laity must confirm the appointment of the Ecclesiastical Assistant.

Article 27

Specialised International Secretariats may be created (under conditions laid down in Art. 12-i):

• either for taking up studies or research which come within the scope of the Movement;
• or for treating problems peculiar to a particular profession;
• or for special activities or services.

Article 28

Each Secretariat works under conditions laid down by the Plenary Assembly and under the authority of the Council.The internal regulations of each Secretariat must be submitted for the approval of the Council. Each Secretariat sends a report to the Council at least once a year.

CHAPTER IV – Finances

Article 29

The resources of the Movement are the following

a) the annual assessments of the members fixed by the Plenary Assembly;

b) gifts, subsidies and legacies;