The International Board of Directors of KOLPING INTERNATIONAL meets every other year. Delegates of Kolping organizations and societies with more than 1,000 members assemble to discuss the future of the international association. This time, they did not only exchange ideas about the large variety of activities in the different parts of the world but the agenda also listed the first report of the International Executive Board. The good news was that internationally Kolping is happy to report a global membership growth despite the fact that the situation of Kolping associations differs substantially depending on the region.
Besides attending the academic conference to celebrate 50 years of professional development cooperation, delegates dealt with the Instrumentum Laboris, the working document for the Pan-Amazon Synod of Bishops in Rome. Based on some quotes from the document, they discussed how the Gospel can be inculturated and adapted to local cultures, how the Creation can be preserved, the role of women in the official ministry in the Church, and new realities families are facing today. Delegates were searching for answers to the question how Kolping Families themselves become places for dedicated people to meet and work for a lively church and a sustainable economy.
