Centre d'action laïque

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

The Centre d’action laïque (CAL) is the umbrella organization for many secularist associations in French-speaking Belgium. It was founded on 29 March 1969 and is a nonprofit association based in Brussels. The current president is Henri Bartholomeeusen. CAL is part of the Central Secular Council, which also coordinates deMens.nu in Flanders, and it works to promote secularism across the French-speaking region.

CAL argues that a secular state treats all citizens equally, regardless of religion or beliefs. In Belgium, laïcité refers both to the secular movement and to living a life without reference to the supernatural. The Belgian state recognizes and funds nonreligious communities. The idea of secularism emphasizes universality, equality and non-discrimination, based on human rights.

Through its regional and local branches, CAL is active in urban life and addresses many topics, including gender equality, education, life’s beginnings and endings, interculturalism, incarceration, addiction and freedom. Its guiding principles are solidarity and critical thinking.

CAL brings together seven regional branches and coordinates 28 secularist associations. Branches are organized by province, except Hainaut, which has two (Mons and Charleroi), and Brussels, which is not part of a province. Its Flemish counterpart is deMens.nu. Together they form the Central Secular Council (CCL/CVR), the representative body of Belgium’s nonreligious community.

At the European level, CAL is a member of the European Humanist Federation and, globally, of the International Humanist and Ethical Union. CAL publishes the monthly magazine Espace de libertés, the publication Outils de réflexion, the essay collection Liberté, j’écris ton nom, and other works, plus video programs Libres, ensemble. Website: laicite.be.