Draft:The Federation of Catholic Family Associations in Europe (FAFCE)

FAFCE (The Federation of Catholic Family Associations in Europe) is a non-governmental organisation of lay Catholics on the European continent. It provides political representation of families at the level of the European institutions, including the European Parliament and the Council of Europe.

History

FAFCE was founded in 1997, as an "umbrella organisation that serves as a European liaison platform for its members to exchange their experience on family support and discuss family policy issues".

The organisation was founded after a Common Charter was signed by Italian, Austrian, French and German family associations in 1991. In 1994, they signed statutes for the coordination of a European Catholic family federation, which by 1997 became FAFCE.

The Council of Europe recognised FAFCE as a Non-Governmental Organisation with a participative status in 2001 and FAFCE was granted one year later the authorisation to submit collective complaints within the framework of the European Social Charter.

In 2009 FAFCE opened its office in Brussels. Over the years the number of member organisations has grown and FAFCE today represents organisations from all parts of Europe.

The organisation is a member of the Fundamental Rights Platform of the European Union and holds a participatory status with the Council of Europe.

FAFCE sees "the family is the centre and the starting point of any community" and the "basic cell of society" - echoing Pope John Paul II's 1981 Familiaris Consortio.

Structure

The organisation consists of a board, a secretariat, and member organisations.

The board is led by a President, Vice-President and Treasurer. These roles are elected by the FAFCE membership every three years. The current President of FAFCE is Vincenzo Bassi.

The secretariat, based in Brussels, is the team of employees who work on policy research, communications, and fundraising. This team is led by a General Secretary, who is currently Nicola Speranza.

FAFCE counts 32 family associations as member organisations, with additional organisations labelled as "associate members" and "observers". The membership spans from the Republic of Ireland to Ukraine.

In the media

FAFCE President Vincenzo Bassi appeared on BBC Radio's Inspirit with Jumoké Fashola in January 2024 after a speech in which Pope Francis criticised the practice of surrogacy. He argued in favour for the abolition of surrogacy on the grounds of human dignity.

On the same subject, General Secretary Nicola Speranza responded to C-Fam on the Pope's comments in January 2024, saying, “this was the first time that a Pontiff spoke in a so clear way regarding this practice, whose use has been growing during the last years”.

In an interview with Spanish-language media outlet El Debate in 2022, FAFCE President Vincenzo Bassi said, "the gravest illness in the family is loneliness". He added that the "biggest problem for the future of Europe is the demographic winter".

Speaking to Vatican News in 2021, Bassi said in regard to demography that “we cannot achieve any sustainable development without intergenerational balance”.

FAFCE has also commented on issues such as digital safety and the protection of minors, the family's role in mental health, family work-life balance, and the economy of the family.