International Movement of Catholic Students

The MIEC (IMCS) is born in Freiburg (Switzerland) in 1921, under the name Pax Romana. 77 representatives from 17 European countries were present : England, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, France, Hungary, Ireland, Lithuania, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Switzerland, Czechoslovakia, Argentina, Java and the United States.

It defines itself as a “Confederatio Studentium Universi Terrarum Orbis Catolica”, i.e. a Catholic Confederation of Students throughout the world.

Its aim is to “gather and represent all legitimate forms of catholic organisations in the university world” in order to raise awareness of the problems specific to University.

In 1935, the organisations from Northern America and Asia joined the International Coordination, in 1941, organisations from Latin America, in 1957, African movements.

In 1946-47, Pax Romana divided itself into two branches: the MIEC(International Movement of Catholic Students) for University and the MIIC (International Movement of Catholic Intellectuals) for the professionals. Their common Secretariat reMayned in Freiburg.

Pax Romana was born as a service for University in a historical period when the concept of Catholic Action brought forward by Pius XI still had not spread in all countries and the pattern of specialized Catholic Action were not born yet.