France
Missionary activity in France began with German missionary Reiner Vincenz. He joined the church in Germany in 1964 and was sent to France on February 26, 1966. Three years after learning to lecture the Unification Principle in French, he witnessed to Henri Blanchard, a Catholic friar. Not only did Henri Blanchard become the first member of the Unification Church in France, but he also witnessed to his fellow friars through ardently seeking of the spiritual world. The Unification Church of France was formally established in 1968, two years after missionary began there.
Encouraged by the early missionary work, members developed a variety of witnessing activities. First of all, they published Nouvel Espoir (New Hope) and began to energetically inform the French people of Reverend Moon's ideal.
Nouvel Espoir became the center of the Unification movement in France, both as a means of approaching thousands of people and as a major source of finance, for a number of years. The magazine dealt not only with religious issues but also important political, cultural and social concerns.
Persecution by the Mitterand government placed the magazine in danger of being closed down. However, it served as a stepping stone for other publishing activities including publications by the Association for the Unity of Latin America.
France also energetically developed service activities. The French branch of the International Relief Friendship Foundation was legally established in 1980 by Dr. C. Takigawa. A service team of ten members took hundreds of kilograms of medical supplies to Zaire.
Dr. Takigawa took a second team to Zaire from July to September 1981 to make a foundation for long-term medical service. In the same year, one-ton of medical supplies were sent to Zaire. Because of the historic relationship between France and Zaire, IRFF in France has sent medical supplies and other necessary materials to Zaire every year, and has supported other nations with which France has historic connections.
Besides missionary and service activities, other organizations such as AULA and CARP are also developing their work. Since 1974, French scientists have been participating in the International Conference on the Unity of Sciences. Representative among them is Professor Jean Charon. He played a leading role in preparing for the Conference on the Role of Spirit in Science, held in Morocco in May 1983. He signed the PWPA declaration made in Korea on December 18, 1983.
The French chapter of PWPA was established in 1978. Annual conferences were held in France, on the themes of Science and Art (May 1979), The Academic World and the Media (December 1980), Culture and Peace (December 1981) and The Relationship between Media and Government (September 1982).
The movement of AULA and CAUSA in France saw a faster development than in other European countries. The French Revolution happened in France, and France is therefore able to accept a broad variety of ideologies. CAUSA held lectures in Paris and CAUSA lecture materials were translated into French. Subsequently, seminars were held in many different places.
In 1975, the French movement established CARP to witness on university campuses. At the time, Universities in France were under considerable influence from pro-Communists. In early 1976, there was a serious confrontation with Communist students. French CARP systematically developed amidst ideological confrontation on the campuses. After restructuring in 1984, the CARP movement stepped up its activities. French CARP has sent representatives to the World CARP Convention every year and hosted the 7th World CARP Convention in 1990.
*** A " Day of Hope " banquet in Paris ( February 27, 1976 ) *** A CAUSA seminar in Paris
