‘We are Going far Away,but Without Separating’: The International Union of Catholic Women's Leagues (1910–1939)

Abstract

The International Union of Catholic Women's Leagues, initially known as the International Council of Catholic Women's Leagues, was the main international Catholic women's organization and one of the most important international women's associations. This article studies the first three decades of the organization, paying particular attention to the international conferences and the association's main guidelines regarding women's rights and the defence of Catholicism and morality. Furthermore, the intention is to situate the international organization within the context of Catholic internationalism, on the one hand, and feminist internationalism, on the other, establishing the similarities and particularities of this organization in relation to both fields. Finally, the text also addresses the involvement of this international organization in the League of Nations, highlighting the fields in which it strove to cooperate with the League and identifying its proposals.