International Spiritist Council

The International Spiritist Council is an international coordinating organization associated with Kardecist Spiritism, the religious, philosophical, and spiritualist movement derived from the work of Allan Kardec in nineteenth-century France. The council was founded on November 28, 1992, and is based in Brazil, a country where Spiritism has an especially substantial institutional and social presence. Its role is organizational rather than commercial: it connects, represents, and facilitates cooperation among Spiritist bodies operating in different countries. Spiritism emerged from the work of Hippolyte Léon Denizard Rivail, who wrote under the name Allan Kardec. Kardec coined the term “Spiritism” in the nineteenth century and presented it as a system combining observation of alleged communication with spirits, philosophical reflection, and moral or religious teaching. The movement’s central texts, commonly called the Spiritist Codification, include The Spirits’ Book, The Mediums’ Book, The Gospel According to Spiritism, Heaven and Hell, and The Genesis. Followers generally emphasize belief in one God, the immortality and progressive development of the spirit, reincarnation, moral responsibility, free will, and communication between living people and spirits through mediumship. The council’s significance lies in providing an international framework for a movement that is organized through national and local associations rather than through a single centralized church. International coordination can support the circulation of publications, educational material, conference activity, charitable initiatives, and doctrinal discussion while preserving the autonomy of affiliated organizations. The council is associated with the international dissemination of Spiritist ideas and with the presentation of Spiritism as a doctrine concerned with the relationship among science, philosophy, and religion. Brazil is the council’s stated country and the principal national setting for the movement’s institutional development. Brazilian Spiritist organizations have historically combined study and worship practices with social assistance and philanthropy. Internationally, Spiritist groups are reported as operating across dozens of countries, with Brazil representing the movement’s largest concentration. The council’s own international orientation reflects the geographical expansion of Spiritist associations beyond France and Brazil into Europe, the Americas, and other regions. The International Spiritist Council should not be confused with a consumer brand or a for-profit corporation. Its public identity is that of a movement-wide representative and coordinating institution. Publicly available material supplied for this entry does not establish a detailed list of officers, affiliates, offices, revenue, legal form, or specific programs. Accordingly, those fields remain unreported rather than being inferred. The organization’s current operational status is treated as active based on the availability of its official website, but no separate dated institutional statement was provided to document its latest structure or activities.

The International Spiritist Council was founded on November 28, 1992, in the context of the international development of Kardecist Spiritism. Spiritism originated in France during the mid-nineteenth century through the writings of Allan Kardec, the pen name of Hippolyte Léon Denizard Rivail. Kardec described the movement as a doctrine based on the existence, manifestations, and teachings of spirits, while also presenting it as a field joining philosophical inquiry, practical observation, and moral or religious consequences. The movement’s intellectual and religious foundation was established through five principal works published between 1857 and 1868: The Spirits’ Book, The Mediums’ Book, The Gospel According to Spiritism, Heaven and Hell, and The Genesis. These works address the nature and destiny of spirits, alleged mediumistic communication, reincarnation, moral development, divine justice, and the relationship between spiritual beliefs and human conduct. Spiritists generally hold that spirits are immortal, that they progress through successive incarnations, and that charity and moral improvement are central obligations. As Spiritism spread, it developed through independent societies, federations, study groups, publishing organizations, and charitable institutions. Brazil became its most important national center, with a large network of Spiritist associations and a long-standing tradition of social assistance. The movement also remained present in France and expanded into other parts of Europe, North America, Latin America, and additional regions. Because the movement was not organized around a single universal church, international communication and coordination became significant institutional needs. The International Spiritist Council was established in 1992 to serve that international coordinating function. The available reference material identifies Brazil as its country and describes the council as an organization associated with the international presence of Spiritism. It reports Spiritist activity in 36 countries and more than 13 million followers, although those figures are presented as claims associated with the council and are not independently documented here. The same material describes Brazil as the movement’s principal center and notes the broader social-assistance and philanthropic influence of Spiritist organizations. The council’s institutional role is therefore best understood as representative and connective rather than commercial. It provides an international identity for organizations that share, to varying degrees, the Kardecist tradition and its emphasis on study, moral conduct, fraternity, and service. Its existence also reflects debates within Spiritism about how the movement should be classified: some adherents describe it primarily as a philosophy or doctrine, while others recognize a religious dimension. Kardec himself presented Spiritism as combining scientific, philosophical, and religious aspects, although it is independent of the rituals and dogmas of any one established church. The council’s public website indicates ongoing institutional presence, but the supplied sources do not provide a complete chronology of its congresses, governing officers, affiliated federations, legal structure, finances, or recent initiatives. No scandals, lawsuits, recalls, mergers, leadership changes, or other news events were documented in the supplied material. These omissions reflect the source base rather than a conclusion that no such events have occurred.

• 1992

  International Spiritist Council founded

  [1]International Spiritist Councilen.wikipedia.org

  The council was established on November 28, 1992, as an international coordinating body for Spiritist organizations.

• 1868

  Completion of the principal Spiritist Codification

  [3]Kardecist spiritismen.wikipedia.org

  The fifth of the principal codification works, The Genesis, was published, completing the core series traditionally associated with Kardecist Spiritism.

• 1857

  Publication of The Spirits’ Book

  [3]Kardecist spiritismen.wikipedia.org

  Allan Kardec published The Spirits’ Book, the foundational text from which the Spiritist doctrine developed.

• International network development

  [3]Kardecist spiritismen.wikipedia.org

  The council became associated with the international dissemination and coordination of Spiritist organizations across multiple countries.

An international, non-commercial coordinating body for Kardecist Spiritist organizations, emphasizing doctrinal education, international cooperation, moral development, fraternity, and service.

Product categories. Doctrinal and educational publications · International coordination for Spiritist organizations · Congresses, seminars, and study activities · Information and representation concerning Spiritist movements · Support for social-assistance and philanthropic initiatives

1. 1International Spiritist Councilen.wikipedia.org
2. 2International Spiritist Council official websitecei-spiritistcouncil.com
3. 3Kardecist spiritismen.wikipedia.org