Over 200 delegates from all over the world representing:
- the national communities of the 66 member countries of World CLC
- 11 observer countries (i.e. those in the process of joining, sponsored by a country already a member of the Community)
- 9 emerging countries (i.e. interested but not yet sponsored or officially in the process of joining).
Each country sends a delegation of 3, 4 or 5 members, depending on the size of its national community.
Whatever the number of delegates, each country has a single vote.
Who are the delegates?
All delegates are lay people involved in CLC or Jesuit assistants, mandated by their national community. Nearly 80 Jesuits will attend the Assembly as ecclesiastical assistants to national communities, marking the continuity of a strong collaboration between CLC and the Society of Jesus. It is customary for the ecclesiastical assistant of a national community to be a Jesuit priest. The competent authority may, however, delegate this function to any other qualified person, always taking into account the role CLC expects of its assistants (PG 14). This is currently the case in Switzerland: the assistant is a lay woman committed to religious life. The term of office for an ecclesiastical assistant is four years. It may be renewed.
