Catholic International Press Agency
A former bilingual Catholic news agency based in Fribourg, Switzerland, operating as APIC/KIPA from 1917 until its restructuring into cath.ch in 2015.
Last updated September 26, 2026
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Overview
The Catholic International Press Agency (French: Agence de Presse internationale catholique, APIC; German: Katholische internationale Presseagentur, KIPA) was a bilingual French- and German-language Catholic news agency headquartered in Fribourg, Switzerland. Founded in 1917 in Olten by Ferdinand Rüegg, Otto Walter and Heinrich Büsinger, it began as a private organization and was transformed into a joint-stock company in 1932. After 1955 it became a cooperative under Swiss law, with equal standing among its cooperative members. The agency was reorganized by the conservative writer August Bärlocher (1887–1968). Emil Franz Josef Müller-Büchi served as editor and then director from 1930 to 1954, and Max Gressly (1897–1998) also served as director. Albert Longchamp was long a committee member and Joseph Pauchard served as president. The agency maintained its headquarters in Fribourg, with the German-language editorial office in Zurich and the French-language editorial office in Fribourg. It presented itself as independent. It was supported by the Swiss Catholic Press Association (Schweizerischer Katholischer Presseverein, SKPV), whose secretariat (Swiss Catholic Press Secretariat) also provided administrative services in Fribourg. The agency worked in close collaboration with the German Catholic news agency Katholische Nachrichten-Agentur (KNA, founded 1952), the Austrian Kathpress (founded 1946), and the Roman Centrum Informationis Catholicum. From 2015, this ensemble was continued by the Catholic media outlet cath.ch through the restructuring work of journalist Werner De Schepper. The archives of the Catholic International Press Agency are preserved at the Cantonal and University Library of Fribourg. The agency is described as a former Catholic press agency in Switzerland, and its legacy continues through the cath.ch / kath.ch / catt.ch media platform.
History
The Catholic International Press Agency was founded in 1917 in Olten, Switzerland, by Ferdinand Rüegg, Otto Walter and Heinrich Büsinger. It was initially a private organization. In 1932 it was transformed into a joint-stock company (société anonyme). After 1955 it became a cooperative under Swiss law, with equality among the various cooperative members. The agency was reorganized by the conservative writer August Bärlocher (1887–1968). Emil Franz Josef Müller-Büchi served as editor and then director from 1930 to 1954. Max Gressly (1897–1998) also served as director. Albert Longchamp was long a member of the committee, and Joseph Pauchard served as president. The agency had its headquarters in Fribourg, Switzerland. The German-language editorial office was based in Zurich, and the French-language editorial office in Fribourg. The editorial team presented itself as independent. It was supported by the Swiss Catholic Press Association (Schweizerischer Katholischer Presseverein, SKPV), whose secretariat (Swiss Catholic Press Secretariat) also served it administratively in Fribourg. It worked in close collaboration with the German Catholic news agency Katholische Nachrichten-Agentur (KNA, founded 1952), the Austrian Kathpress (founded 1946), and the Roman Centrum Informationis Catholicum. From 2015, this ensemble was continued by the Catholic media outlet cath.ch through the restructuring work of journalist Werner De Schepper. The archives of the Catholic International Press Agency are preserved at the Cantonal and University Library of Fribourg. The agency is described as a former Catholic press agency in Switzerland.
- 2015
Restructured into the cath.ch media outlet under journalist Werner De Schepper.
- 1955
Became a cooperative under Swiss law with equal standing among members.
- 1932
Transformed into a joint-stock company (société anonyme).
- 1917
Founded in Olten by Ferdinand Rüegg, Otto Walter and Heinrich Büsinger.
Products and positioning
Independent bilingual Catholic news agency serving the Swiss and international Catholic press.
APIC/KIPA news service
Bilingual French/German Catholic news agency service.
Recent events
UMF Corporation announces strategic partnership with APIC[4]
Reported:
UMF Corporation announced a strategic partnership with the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) for 2022. The partnership supports infection prevention and control initiatives.
Sources4 sources
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