FAFCE Re-Elects Bassi, Adopts Pluralism Resolution
At its Strasbourg assembly FAFCE reaffirmed subsidiarity, pressed for fair access for family groups, and launched a 2027 European art contest.
The General Assembly of the Federation of Catholic Family Associations in Europe (FAFCE) concluded in Strasbourg, France, at the San Tommaso Cultural Center after sessions held from November 3 to 5, 2026.
Italian lawyer Vincenzo Bassi, admitted to practice before the Court of Cassation, was re-elected president for a further three-year term. Angelika Mitterrutzner of South Tyrol was confirmed as vice president. Two new vice presidents were elected: Kalman Daboczi of Hungary and Ulrich Hoffman of Germany. Belgian Matthieu Bruynseels succeeded Nicola Speranza as general secretary.
Family advocacy and a shared roadmap
Over the three days, delegates reviewed European and international work to protect the family and presented a road map for the coming semester. The assembly also announced the 2027 European art competition on the theme “Hope and Peace,” which will conclude in Rome in June 2027.
The gathering closed with the official adoption of a Resolution on “Pluralism.” FAFCE affirms that “family policies fall within the competence and responsibility of the individual national states, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity,” and asks that civil society organizations, including family and religiously inspired associations, have fair and transparent opportunities to take part in public consultations and access public funds, without unjustified discrimination based on religious or philosophical convictions.
The text places Catholic family associations at the heart of democratic debate in Europe while insisting that national competence and subsidiarity remain the proper frame for family policy. By renewing its bureau and binding itself to a public standard of non-discrimination for confessional groups, FAFCE signals continuity in its defense of marriage, parents, and children before European institutions.