OFFICIAL NAME
Union Internationale des Juristes Catholiques
ACRONYM
UIJC
ALSO KNOWN AS
International Union of Catholic Jurists
ESTABLISHED
1986
HISTORY
The International Union of Catholic Jurists was founded in Paris in 1986 to promote worldwide unity in the spiritual and secular action of Catholic jurists and to bring together their various associations, some of which already existed during the pontificate of Pius XI.
After fifteen years of activity and cooperation, on October 17, 2002, the Holy See granted canonical recognition to the Union Internationale des Juristes Catholiques, by decree of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, as an international association of the faithful with juridical personality. Since then, its headquarters are located in Rome, in the Palazzo della Cancelleria, in the Vatican extraterritorial area, where the courts of the Holy See are located.
IDENTITY
The fundamental principles of the UIJC are: openness to the general and local problems of today’s world, with the goal of finding solutions faithful to the Gospel and to the Tradition of the Church, in light of the Teachings of the Magisterium; recognition and respect for natural and Christian law, in line with justice and charity; defense and protection of human life, from conception to natural death; the affirmation of the eminent dignity of the person and the constant reminder of his/her fundamental duties and the rights deriving from them; the defense and promotion of the Christian idea of the family; the dissemination of the Church's social doctrine and teachings, particularly in the juridical field, and the search for the means to ensure their application.
The purpose of the UIJC is to contribute to the maintenance or recovery of Christian principles in the philosophy and science of law, in legislative, judicial, and administrative activities, in teaching and research, as well as in public and professional life.
STRUCTURE
The International Union of Catholic Jurists brings together national associations of Catholic jurists, each of which has its own juridical personality (civil or canonical), in accordance with the respective national laws, outside the juridical-canonical personality of the Union. It has a President, two Vice-Presidents, a Secretary General, a Treasurer, two members, and an Ecclesiastical Assistant. The latter must be proposed by the President and confirmed by the Holy See.
WORKS
The International Union of Catholic Jurists carries out its activities primarily at three levels: the academic level (with conferences and publications for spreading its main principles), the judicial level (through its intervention in trials in which these principles are at stake) and the public level (through its presence in the debate in different countries).
HEADQUARTERS
Union Internationale des Juristes Catholiques
Alameda Água Marinha, 70 - Res. 9 Alphaville
Santana do Parnaíba
06540-150 São Paulo
Brasil
