How ICMC Began
The founding of ICMC followed the end of the Second World War and the great displacement of peoples, particularly in Europe, caused by that international conflict. By 1949, in eastern Europe thousands more were forced to flee their homes.
The Catholic Church worked among these displaced people in various ways and places but, by 1951, it was clear to a group of lay Catholic people and the Holy See in Rome that a more systematic effort was needed on the part of Catholic organizations to respond to the needs of forced migrants.
In 1951, German, Italian, and American laity and clergy, as well as Secretary of State, Archbishop Montini (the future Pope Paul VI), and Cardinal Joseph Frings of Germany, initiated the creation of the International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC). The following year, Pope Pius XII, in his papal letter (known as an Apostolic Constitution), Exsul Familia, focused the attention of Catholics on the needs of migrants and refugees, and formally introduced ICMC to the world. The first president of ICMC was Mr James Norris from the United States of America. He served as president for 23 years and retired in 1976.
In its early years, the work of ICMC focused on the administration of migrant travel loan funds. This was, by far, the most pressing need at the time.
Read more about this topic: International Catholic Migration Commission
Famous quotes containing the word began:
“Twenty-two weeks the men were out as the strike moved into winter. It was strange to go out into the street and find the men there in the daytime. It had a feeling of fright in it. And always the mood of the men grew uglier as empty bellies and desperation began to conquer reason. Any man who was not their friend became their enemy. They knew my father had opposed the strike, and now it was they who opposed him.”
—Philip Dunne (1908–1992)