The International Prison Chaplains' Association (IPCA) is an association of

prison chaplain Prison religion includes the religious beliefs and practices of prison inmates, usually stemming from or including concepts surrounding their imprisonment and accompanying lifestyle. "Prison Ministry" is a larger concept, including the support of th ...

s. It is divided into several sections like IPCA-

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

, IPCA

Oceania Oceania (, , ) is a region, geographical region that includes Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Spanning the Eastern Hemisphere, Eastern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres, Oceania is estimated to have a land area of ...

etc. It is a

non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...

and has held Special

Consultative Status The consultative status is a phrase whose use can be traced to the founding of the United Nations and is used within the UN community to refer to "Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Soc ...

to the

United Nations Economic and Social Council The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC; french: links=no, Conseil économique et social des Nations unies, ) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations, responsible for coordinating the economic and social fields ...

since 2014.

IPCA Europe

IPCA-Europe, the European section of the global IPCA organization (founded 1985 in Bossey,

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

), commenced its work with the Ecumenical Conference for Pastoral Counselling in European Prisons, held in

Strasbourg Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label=Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label=Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the Eu ...

in May 1992. The conference was conducted in collaboration with the

Council of Europe The Council of Europe (CoE; french: Conseil de l'Europe, ) is an international organisation founded in the wake of World War II to uphold European Convention on Human Rights, human rights, democracy and the Law in Europe, rule of law in Europe. ...

. The working goal (now partially achieved) is to create a network between prison

chaplains A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secular institution (such as a hospital, prison, military unit, intelligence ...

of all

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

churches in Europe. The network is intended to facilitate ecumenical cooperation and mutual support. The chief aims are: maintenance of human rights and freedom of religious practice and pastoral counseling in prisons, protection of minorities and improvement of the situation of crime victims. At regular intervals, currently every four years, IPCA-Europe organizes a pan-European conference chiefly aimed at active prison chaplains. Following the 1992 event, further conferences took place in

Rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

in 1994, in

Ystad Ystad (; older da, Ysted) is a town and the seat of Ystad Municipality, in Scania County, Sweden. Ystad had 18,350 inhabitants in 2010. The settlement dates from the 11th century and has become a busy ferryport, local administrative centre, and ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

in 1997 and in

Driebergen Driebergen is a former village and municipality in the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is first mentioned as Thriberghen in 1159. The former municipality of Driebergen existed until 1931, when it merged with Rijsenburg, to create the new municipali ...

, the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

in 2001. Each conference was attended by more than 100 participants from some 30 European countries. Between the pan-European conferences IPCA-Europe also initiates working groups and regional conferences in collaboration with regional and national associations of prison chaplains. IPCA-Europe is an associate organization of the CEC (Conference of European Churches) and is in contact with the

Committee for the Prevention of Torture The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment or shortly Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) is the anti-torture committee of the Council of Europe. Founded to enforce the Europe ...

of the Council of Europe. During the pan-European conferences a steering committee is elected to prepare the next conference and to conduct business. The steering committee is itself responsible for funding its work. It elects a chairman and, generally speaking, meets twice a year. The steering committee currently comprises eight elected members and one co-opted member from various European regions and churches. IPCA-Europe does not have a secure budget at its disposal. The work is funded through project-based ecclesiastical and state grants. This funding is particularly crucial for ensuring the collaboration and participation of prison chaplains from

Eastern Eastern may refer to: Transportation *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai *Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways *Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991 *Eastern Air Li ...

and

Southern Europe Southern Europe is the southern regions of Europe, region of Europe. It is also known as Mediterranean Europe, as its geography is essentially marked by the Mediterranean Sea. Definitions of Southern Europe include some or all of these countrie ...

. The Ten Points of IPCA-EUROPE #"IPCA Europe works on an ecumenical basis, founded on the IPCA Worldwide Charter". #"We are keen to engage in activities which are firmly based on the good news of

Jesus Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

" #"We are seeking to develop exchanges in Europe between our various chaplaincies with a view to providing mutual support". #"We hope to establish European networks to encourage twinning and ecumenical working groups". #"We hope that these exchanges could be extended to other countries, particularly the

Third World The term "Third World" arose during the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned with either NATO or the Warsaw Pact. The United States, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Western European nations and their allies represented the " First ...

, in conjunction with IPCA Worldwide". #"We also hope to develop our watchfulness concerning the problems of justice and human rights, and with this in mind to work alongside the European Ecumenical Commission for

Church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Chris ...

and

Society A society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Socie ...

(

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

and

). ( EECCS has developed to: KEK- Commission for

and

) #"We hope to be able to share more in the problems faced by church chaplains in Eastern Europe and Southern Europe". #"We are working to help our churches to adopt the most appropriate position vis-à-vis justice and its social consequences in each of our countries" #"In the name of the different churches, united in the same desire to serve, we are called, as chaplains, to become communities of action and prayer in Jesus Christ". #"God willing, we will meet for a new Conference, organised by the Committee of IPCA-Europe, which will be held on the date and at the place to be decided on, if we so wish.

References

{{Reflist

External links

International Prison Chaplains' Association Official Website
Religious prison-related organizations Prison chaplains