A comparative approach to the discourse and practice of charity in the German-speaking world : History and lexicography

Résumé 0

Unlike in French-speaking countries, the concept of charity does not have negative connotations in German-speaking countries. The debate between charity and solidarity in France and in Germany, two countries marked by secularisation, has produced different outcomes. Since the end of the Second World War, the evolution of structures of charity on both sides of the Franco-German border has been characterised increasingly and simplistically by professionalisation on the one hand and voluntary work on the other. In Germany, however, two tendencies have emerged: one is in line with the social doctrine of the Church and the other marked by the development of a “ Caritas-theology” ( Caritas-theologie in German), articulating both theory and practice and relying upon distinct and complementary magisterial sources.