Pax Romana (organization)


Pax Romana is an international lay Catholic movement. It combines the representation of two movements with similar interests and goals, the International Catholic Movement for Intellectual and Cultural Affairs and the International Movement of Catholic Students . These two groups operate independently, but share the common name of Pax Romana in representation at the United Nations and UNESCO.
Pax Romana has many focuses, some of which are human rights, democracy, education, eradication of poverty, sustainable development, and inter-cultural/inter-religious dialogue. Each of these focuses is approached from the perspective of Catholic social teaching with the goal of promoting peace, in service of the common good.

History

Pax Romana was created in two stages, first in 1921 with IMCS/MIEC, then in 1946 with ICMICA/MIIC, and thus is made up of two complementary organizations.
In 1949, ICMICA/MIIC became one of the first NGOs to be granted special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council and UNESCO.
During the Second Vatican Council, Pax Romana and many of its members played an important role. In 1963, a former FUCI chaplain Giovanni Battista Montini was elected as Pope Paul VI.
Each organization, IMCS/MIEC and ICMICA/MIIC, comprises many national movements. As of 2015, IMCS/MIEC brings together 83 national movements from 75 countries.

Name and motto

Pax Romana is a combination of two movements, ICMICA/MIIC and IMCS/MIEC. ICMICA stands for the International Catholic Movement for Intellectual and Cultural Affairs, and MIIC stands for the French and Spanish translation of this title. IMCS stands for the International Movement of Catholic Students, and MIEC stands for the French and Spanish translation.
Pax Romana refers to over 200 years of peace during the days of the Roman Empire, including the life of Christ. The motto of Pax Romana is "Pax Christi in regno Christi", which translates to "peace of Christ in the kingdom of Christ".

IMCS/MIEC

History

In 1921, student leaders from 23 countries met in Fribourg, Switzerland to create what is today the International Movement of Catholic Students. They felt compelled to form an international union to organize for peace after the world had been shaken by World War I. Between the two world wars, IMCS/MIEC had close relations with the League of Nations, with the goal to address the concerns of students around the globe.
Global tensions prior to World War II prompted IMCS/MIEC to expand its reach to North America. Thus, in 1938 IMCS/MIEC elected its first non-European president, Edward Kirchner from the United States, and in 1939 held its World Congress at Fordham University in New York and Catholic University in Washington, D.C.. Throughout the war and following its end, IMCS/MIEC made a goal of providing relief to students who had been affected by the conflict.
Post-war, IMCS/MIEC sought more representation among Catholic students in Latin America, Africa and Asia. These efforts would lead to the development of many national movements throughout the continents. By having an organization comprising many national movements situated around the world, IMCS/MIEC is structured in a way to "enable local students to take creative ownership over their local structures while also allowing for considerable diversity among the member movements".
In 1946, the International Young Catholic Students movement was founded during Pax Romana's World Congress. IYCS/JECI is unlike its predecessor in that these movements are "organized in the tradition of specialized Catholic action. Although being autonomous to Pax Romana, these two organizations would work closely together, only to form an even closer bond with IMCS/MIEC in the 1970s, as the two launched joint national movements in Latin America, Europe and the Middle East. In light of this new strengthened working relationship, IMCS/MIEC would leave its offices in Fribourg, Switzerland to share a space with IYCS/JECI in Paris, France.

Structure

The International Team of IMCS/MIEC Pax Romana consists of a President, Secretary General, and Ecclesial Assistant. Elections to the International Team are held during the World Assembly, which takes place every 4 years. In between, the International Team convokes annual International Council Meetings. The organization is composed of regional structures, of which some are joined with IYCS/JECI:

History

As the IMCS/MIEC was founded in response to World War I, the International Catholic Movement for Intellectual and Cultural Affairs was founded after World War II, emerging from the graduate branch of IMCS/MIEC in 1946.

Structure

The International Team of ICMICA/MIIC Pax Romana consists of an President, Secretary General, Ecclesial Assistant and Regional Vice Presidents, and Vice President for Finance. Elections of the International Team are held during the Plenary Assembly, which takes place every 4 years. In between, the International Team convokes annual International Council Meetings.
Each regional board is elected for a 4-year term. These consist of 7 board members and a vice president of the given continent, who coordinates the work of the board. Elections are held during the Regional Assembly, which takes place after every International Congress. Each regional board is assisted by regional Ecclesial Assistant.
ICMICA/MIIC Pax Romana also has 6 Specialized Secretariats:
Following are notable members of Pax Romana in no particular order:
Following are some notable national member movements of Pax Romana in no particular order:
Following are some notable national movements which were formerly affiliated with Pax Romana in no particular order:
Following are a list of notable achievements made by Pax Romana in no particular order:
Pax Romana has a special consultative status with ECOSOC of the United Nations. It has representatives in New York, Paris, Geneva, Vienna and Nairobi. Pax Romana is a recognized as a private organization before the Canon Law of the Catholic Church. It is also a member of CONGO.