PREPARATION FOR THE STUDY SESSION OF ICMICA – MIIC PAX ROMANA

 CONTEXTUALIZING PAX ROMANA ICMICA IN THE NEW GLOBAL REALITY TODAY

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GENERAL SCHEDULE

  • Study session preparation within the regions: 01st September to 15th October 2022.
  • Sharing with the reports of the regions with the ICMICA International community: 15th to 30th October 2022.
  • Global virtual study session: Saturday 19th November 2022.

INTRODUCTION

The International Catholic Movement for Intellectual and Cultural Affairs – (ICMICA – Pax Romana) is a global community of Catholic intellectuals and professionals from more than 60 countries committed to the spirituality of action – dedicated to evangelizing the professional and intellectual milieu.

Inspired by the Gospel and Catholic Social Teaching, ICMICA supports its members to think, reflect and act on concrete issues facing our world and our Church. Since 1946, ICMICA has brought together a wide range of individuals, small communities, national movements or federations, and international networks with a shared commitment to support each other across borders and to integrate faith and action for a more just world.

Vis-à-vis the challenging environment marked by the increase of insecurity, civil wars and conflicts, weakening of democracies, advancement of new forms of authoritarianism, rise of inequality, poverty and hunger, corruption, human trafficking, progressive weakening of the international order, invasion and war in Ukraine, inability to confront the environmental crisis, Catholic Professionals are challenged to think and look for solutions.

As professionals and intellectuals, members must think and act to implement practical solutions to the growing threats to the well-being of all people and peace in the world.

The reform of the Church proposed by Pope Francis to build a synodal Church, taking up the proposal of the Second Vatican Council, allows us to rethink about our commitments. The movement members need to redefine their strategies and review their contributions as movements of professionals and intellectuals.

Pax Romana has a long work experience in the world and in the Church. It has maintained its representation as a civil society organization within United Nations agencies that seek to solve many of these serious problems facing humanity.

However, like any other movements within the Roman Catholic Church, Pax Romana faces the challenges of declining membership at a local level; it has difficulty in recruiting new members, and sees some decline in terms of engagement and activism, resources mobilization, and many more.

To start a conversation about these situations and to define a new direction for the movement, the International Council of the ICMICA is proposing to hold a study session to invite members to a global reflection. The study session will be preceded by a continental consultation conducted by the Vice President of each region.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY SESSION

  1. To support the exchange of information among the regions in order to
    • Understand the current context in which they find themselves, from the perspective of Human Rights, especially for the “discarded or ignored” and the peripheries.
    • Make explicit commitments to the fundamental interests of the members according to the diverse contexts in which they live and are involved.
  2. To gather the entire family of ICMICA to reflect on the mission and the situation/state of the movement at the local and global level, in the current historical and ecclesial context.
  3. Conduct a global reflection and consultation to redefine strategies and approaches on how ICMICA carries out its mission in order to be able to respond to the signs of the time.

EXPECTED RESULTS

At the end of the study session, it is expected to:

  • Have a clear understanding of the contexts in which each region finds itself and the state of the movement.
  • Have a better understanding of the main problems faced by the members, and engage them in the search for solutions.
  • Create global thematic teams (specialized secretariats) to lead and inform the movement on different issues and support its representations at the UN, and at the Council of Europe.
  • Have a clear and well-documented plan of action and way forward, taking into account the emerging virtual and technological reality.
  • Facilitate the exchange of good practices among ICMICA members in different regions to address challenges and strengthen the spirituality of action.
  • Facilitate access to information to help members better understand the situation of the movement globally and the challenges arising from the new reality.

GUIDELINES FOR GATHERING INFORMATION FROM THE REGIONS

Here are a few questions that can guide reflection and facilitate sharing and integration.

The report should consist of two main parts:

  1. The general context in each region, and
  2. The situation of the movement.

CONTEXT IN EACH REGION WHERE THE MEMBERS OF THE MOVEMENT ARE

 1) We seek to understand the current context in which the populations find themselves where ICMICA is active, but analyzed from the perspective of Human Rights, in particular, the situation of the “discarded or ignored” and the peripheries.

What is the center of discussion or fundamental debate that exists in each region with respect to these fundamental axes?

  • Vision of the integrality of human rights and human dignity
    • Indigenous peoples, afro-descendants, vulnerable populations and territories
    • Taking care of the common home (mining, access to water, climate change,) and natural disasters (floods, earthquakes, etc.).
    • Women and gender
    • Migration and refugee issues
    • Food security
    • Access to education and health
    • Housing and infrastructure
  • Integral human security
    • Organized crime, drug trafficking, insecurity, corruption.
    • Political and social conflicts, armed confrontations, war.
    • Armament vs. disarmament.
  • Cross-cutting issues
    • State, nation, republics, enlargement, forms or limits to the democratic system and the rule of law. The emergence of new political actors traditionally marginalized.
    • Religious change, conflicts, dialogue
    • Position of the local Church in the face of the major problems of the region.
    • Cultural technological change and regional and global transformations
    • Impact on communications and development of virtuality.

2) To make explicit commitments to the fundamental interests of the members according to the diverse contexts in which they are present. Faced with the situation described above, how do we position ourselves as Pax Romana and what contributions can we make? What are the possible challenges? How do we overcome them?

THE SITUATION OF THE MOVEMENT IN THE REGIONS

  • General presentation

Make a general presentation of the situation of the movement in your region.

    1. In how many countries does the movement exist?
    2. What is the membership like: how many constituent members, how many correspondent members?
    3. How is the recruitment of new members going?
    4. How is the situation of the national movements? How many are doing well and how many are having difficulties?
  • Relationship of the movement and/or its members with the Church
    1. How is your relationship with the Bishops’ conferences?
    2. How is the relationship of the regional office with the regional bodies of the bishops’ conference
  • Structure in each region
    • Is there a regional executive team, and how are they selected (election or appointment)?
    • Do you have a Board of Directors or any consultative structure? How are they selected?
    • How are decisions made in your region?
    • Does your region have any legal status (certificate of registration, etc.)?
    • Do you have a permanent secretariat and where is it located?
    • Do you have any means of communication: official email, website, social media platform, etc.?
    • Does it have administrative support for its operation? Who are its main human resources (volunteers or paid staff)?
    • What are its main financial resources and does it have any external financial support beyond membership dues?
    • Is the financing of activities and operations sustainable?
  • Extension
  1. Do you consider your movement sustainable in terms of member participation? Is there a plan to ensure longevity or growth/expansion within your region? What are those plans?
  • Relationship with ICMICA International
    1. What do you consider to be the added value for the national movements in belonging to ICMICA Pax Romana (give examples)?
    2. And for the members?
    3. How can we strengthen joint international action?
    4. What changes are necessary according to the new global situation?
  • Activities and mission
    1. What are the main activities of the national movements in your region? Do you have regular activities as a community? What have been your contributions to society?
    2. What are the areas of interest (thematic areas) of the movements at national and regional level?
    3. What are the main challenges faced by the national movements in carrying out their mission?
    4. What are the main challenges of the national movement in the framework of its membership in Pax Romana?
    5. What do you plan to do in the future?
  • Relations with other organizations: Synodality and Interreligious Dialogue.
    1.  Relations with other Catholic groups: do you have any kind of collaboration with IMCS, IYCS, IYCW or other lay groups or movements or religious congregations?
    2. Do you have relationships or joint project with non-Catholic Christian religious groups?
    3. Do you have meetings or activities with groups of other religious denominations?
    4. Is the ICMICA of your region a member of any civil society network?

PRESENTATION OF THE REPORTS BY THE REGIONS PRIOR TO THE STUDY SESSION

Each region is required to submit a written report. All the reports will translated into English, French, and Spanish.

PROGRAM OF THE STUDY SESSION

 Date: Saturday 19th November 2022

Time: 12pm GMT

General Theme: Contextualizing the Pax Romana ICMICA – MIIC in the new global reality.

Time in GMT  Theme Responsible
12:00 pm -12:05 pm Opening Prayers
12:05 pm -12:30 pm International Context and Pax Romana ICMICA today- Main challenges and members’ commitments.

Synthesis from the regional reports (20″ Vice Presidents Panel)

 Vice Presidents
12:30 pm – 1: 20 pm Work in thematic groups according :

a)  To the contextual challenges selected and formed according to the commitment, experience and interest of ICMICA members.

The thematic groups will propose lines of action and support international representations (Economic and International Relations Crisis, Human Rights, Security, Environment and Climate Change, Education and Culture, Immigration and Refugee).

 

b) To the movement’s organizational challenges and the need to strengthen the movement (in terms of Spirituality and Pastoral Orientations, movement’s organization, administration and finances, virtual work and communications in and out, Building a synodal Church and interreligious dialogue).

 Moderators: to be selected by the Council in advance
1:20 pm- 1:35 pm Open discussion, proposals and inputs from thematic groups Moderator
1:35 pm – 1:40 pm Main conclusions Ana María
1:40 pm -1:45 pm Vote of thanks and closing prayers Father Luis María

 

 

 

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