General Praeses Msgr. Ottmar Dillenburg and General Secretary Dr. Markus Demele used their visit to Rome for the preparations of the 2021 Pilgrimage commemorating the 30th Anniversary of Blessed Adolph Kolping’s beatification to cultivate contacts in the Vatican.
The Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life (Dicasterium pro Laicis, Familia et Vita) is a dicastery of the Roman Curia. Established by Pope Francis in 2016, it is now a central authority of the Curia that took over all functions that previously pertained to the Pontifical Council for the Laity and the Pontifical Council for the Family.
The Secretary of the Dicastery, Fr. Alexandre Awi Mello from Brazil was impressed by the global expansion and the large diversity of Kolping work throughout the world. Dr. Gabriella Gambino, the Under-Secretary for Family and Life was particularly interested in the aspect of Kolping as a learning community. Providing formal and informal education for people of all ages has always played a major role in the Kolping work. A first fruit of this meeting has been an invitation sent to KOLPING INTERNATIONAL by the Congregation for Education of the Vatican to get involved with an initiative of Pope Francis for a global educational pact (www.educationglobalcompact.org) with a meeting being held by the universal church in Rome in mid-October.
