CATHOLIC ASSOCIATIONS. — Under this name, which is certainly very broad, one may include all societies of the faithful having an aim in conformity with Catholic doctrine or at least not contrary to II. In this broad sense, there are Catholic associations for mutual aid, charity, insurance, etc.
In a stricter sense, under this designation are included only those societies of the faithful which, although not being religious institutes, pursue *a pious aim*, of charity or religion or something similar, with the approval or at least the recommendation of ecclesiastical authority. The Code of Canon Law recommends all of them, urging the faithful to belong to them and warning them against secret, condemned, seditious, suspect associations or those which in any way seek to evade the legitimate vigilance of the Church (can. 684).
In an even stricter sense, the same Code legislates on *associations of the faithful* canonically erected or at least approved by the Church (can. 686, § 1), all of which are also called ecclesiastical associations, in contrast to those merely recommended, which are called lay associations (though this terminology is imprecise).
We thus have a threefold class of Catholic associations understood in the strict sense: recommended associations, approved associations, and canonically erected associations. The Code of Canon Law, while exhorting the faithful to belong to such associations, concerns itself only with those falling into the last two classes and distinguishes them (can. 700 ff.) into Third Orders, Confraternities, and Pious Unions (v. CONFRATERNITY; THIRD ORDER; PIOUS UNION), admitting that those belonging to the last two categories may rise to the dignity of Archconfraternities or Primary Unions. All three classes are of interest to us.
Special mention should be made of Catholic Action Associations, which, according to some, would constitute a fourth category of associations erected or approved by the Church, in addition to the three mentioned above (v. ACTION).
From a historical-legal point of view, it is useful to recall that the Church from its very origins expressed in concrete forms its native right to group the faithful into special associations or fraternities, with the aim of better achieving the essential purpose of the sanctification and salvation of souls, or of attaining more immediate aims dependent on and connected with it, or in any case of employing the most appropriate means for the attainment of these aims.
If there was an evolution in this activity of the Church, we find it in the progressively stricter organization of its associations, stimulated by the preservation and perfection of different circumstances of time and place or by new necessities of social life. Thus, from the primitive pious associations of charity, suggested by contingent motives, there developed, also under the impulse of religious institutes, associations for worship (Confraternities), associations for moral and spiritual perfection (Third Orders), and associations for cooperation in the apostolate and social assistance (Catholic Action).
The juridical activity of the Church intervened at first, preferably, only to approve or authorize the initiatives of private individuals; from the 13th century and more so with the Council of Trent, a more direct legislative action began, intended to provide norms, settle disputes, promote new forms of associations, regulate their foundation, development, and works. Extensive documentation on this subject is provided by the sources annotated at the foot of can. 684 and following.
The Code of Canon Law, at least for associations of the faithful more strictly understood, gives precise norms for their erection or approval and aggregation, for their governance, for the admission and dismissal of members, and for the administration of goods (can. 686 ff.). These norms do not in themselves apply to merely recommended associations.
The Concordat between the Holy See and Italy sanctions the dependence of Catholic associations on ecclesiastical authority (art. 29 c, 30, 43) and also provides for their civil recognition (art. 31), which entails the capacity to acquire and possess property (art. 30). The laws, regulations, instructions, etc., issued by the two High Parties for the application of the Concordat further specify the above points.
For associations of arts and crafts, V. CORPORATION.