The following notes on the history of UNIAPAC are taken from: GREMILLION, REV JOSEPH, M A., "THE CATHOLIC MOVEMENT OF EMPLOYERS AND MANAGERS", Gregorian University Press, 4 Piazza della Pilotta, Rome 1961), from recent issues of "UNIAPAC NEWS", and other sources.
The oldest national federations of catholic employers were those formed in:
Several of the leaders of these national federations have played a role of importance in the development of the Catholic Church's social doctrine, such as Leon Harmel who had a textile firm in the North of France (Val des Bois). He both followed and influenced Leo XIII (the encyclique "Rerum Novarum").
At that time uncertainty persisted on the question whether a "corporative" concept of the enterprise-as-a-whole (so-called "harmony" model) should be pursued or rather the "professional organisation" model (defending special interests, such as those ofemployees, employers). The latter trend became generally accepted Church doctrine, and workers were then encouraged to organise themselves in trade unions (page 32).
Debates also took place within these groups of catholic entrepreneurs on questions like the role of the state in the economy, as well as on the question whether large families should receive allowances, and in what way.
Since 1926 the national associations began to reach out toward seach other and issue invitations to their meetings.
In 1931 an international "comite d'initiative" was set up (initiative of the industrialist Piet Spoorenberg, and chaired by later Netherlands Minister of Economic Affairs Max P L Steenberghe) to form a group of catholic employers which could take part in the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the encyclical "Rerum Novarum" in Rome.
On that occasion in Rome 1931, the decision was taken to continue international contacts through regular "Conferences Internationales des Associations Patronales Catholiques".
International conferences of this kind were subsequently held in:
After the Second World War, more national associations came into existence, like:
In Italy, Giuseppe Mosca in 1949 took a role in the formation of UNIAPAC as an international federation.
Secretarial services for those beginning international contacts in the 1930's were supplied first by elected officials of the national associations (Emile Fourmond of the French CFPC, and Mr Kortenhorstof the Netherlands).
In 1946 A.H.M. Albreghts became secretary general. He prepared the final transformation during a congress in Rome of UNIAPAC into a permanent organisation, called "Union Internationale des Associations Patronales Catholiques". After serving as Netherlands economic Minister for a few years, he came back as Secretary General on a part time basis.
Finally, because the international contacts grew in importance and the work load increased, in 1958 the post of Secretary General was made a full-time job, with a fixed office in Brussels. The new Secretary General was Rik Vermeire. Services to the national associations and frequency of publications could now be increased.
UNIAPAC has been recognized by such international organisations as FAO, Rome, the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, the International Labor Organization in Geneva, the European Community, the United Nationa Conference on Trade and Development, Geneva, UNIDO, Vienna, UNESCO Paris.
The Holy See took always great interest in UNIAPAC and appointed in 1957 Cardinal Siri as a spiritual guide (page 55) (now Cardinal Etchegaray), and Father Georges Dubois S J as chaplain (now FatherPhilippe Laurent S.J., Paris). The Papal council for the Laity (Cardinal Pironio) supports the movement.
On the opening of the movement to other Christian denominations and on its present ecumenical character, see below.
Successive Presidents of UNIAPAC since then have been :
Successive Secretaries General:
Around 1961, (the time of publication of the book of Pere Gremillon) the number of national organisations had expanded to the following 16:
Comparing this list of 1961 which reflects the situation as Father Gremillion describes it in his book "The Catholic Movement of Employers and Managers", with today's situation in 1996, shows that since then both great expansion and great changes have occurred.
Partly the national associations have changed in name. For the Netherlands: Nederlands Christelijk Werkgeversverbond, the Hague; in Spain the association is not any more called "Accion SocialPatronal", but "Accion Social Empresarial" (reflecting a moremodern and less paternalistic terminology). In Great Britain the association is now called "Christian Association of Business Executives" (CABE) instead of "CatholicIndustrialists' Conference".
In some countries in addition to a first catholic association, a second protestant organisation took affiliation to UNIAPAC, like in Germany : "Arbeitskreis Evangelischer Unternehmer in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland".
While in origin membership in some national associations had been exclusively catholic, even in the sixties many of them had opened up to managers of other christian denominations, and this tendency at the national level has since strengthened greatly. Therefore it was decided in 1962 that the acronym UNIAPAC does not anymore stand for: "Union Internationale des Associations Patronales Catholiques", but for "Union International Chretienne des Dirigeants d'Entreprise, or in English: "International Christian Union of Business Executives".
As a result relations have also been established with the World Council of Churches in Geneva. Since 1961, among others, the following associations joined UNIAPAC:
Special action in former communist countrie. Since 1989 UNIAPAC was invited to develop many activities in the formerly communist countries: Seminar of Kralupy in 1990, the European Encounter in Prague, 1990, the European "Churches-Enterprises" symposium Baden/Vienna 1991, the International Encounter of Budapest 1991.
The last four World Congresses of UNIAPAC were the following: