Insurer Allianz denies being ‘headline sponsor’ for World Meeting of Families

Allianz, the insurance and asset management company, has denied it is “the headline sponsor” for the World Meeting of Families (WMoF), which takes place in Dublin later this month.

The company had been criticised for incompatibility between support for the Catholic event and for LGBT groups.

In a statement last night, the company said Allianz in Ireland was the official general insurer to the WMoF and had made a donation to it but was not the headline sponsor of the event.

“Allianz is Ireland’s leading insurer and the only indigenous insurer capable of covering an event as big and as complex as the WMoF,” it said.

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On RTÉ Radio One’s Marian Finucane programme last Sunday, businesswoman and entrepreneur Norah Casey said Allianz was the WMoF “headline sponsor”. Ms Casey is also co-chairwoman of the Voices of Impact women’s symposium, which takes place as part of the WMoF on Saturday, August 25th.

Speaking to The Irish Times last night she said she could not recall who had told her Allianz was headline sponsor for the event.

Involvement

A spokeswoman for the WMoF said it was not its policy to publicise the names of sponsors. It was “a matter for each corporate or sponsor to decide what information they wish to release about their involvement with WMOF2018”, she said.

In relation to Dublin Pride last June, Allianz tweeted: “Happy #Pride to all our wonderful @Allianz_Care LGBTQ staff and everyone celebrating @DublinPride week.”

We strongly promote a diverse and open society and corporate culture and respect different cultures and religions

Last month the company lit up Munich’s Allianz Arena – home of Bayern Munich – in rainbow colours to celebrate Pride and has marked Pride events in the UK, Australia and elsewhere internationally.

Yesterday, Justin McAleese, son of former president Mary McAleese and Dr Martin McAleese, contacted Allianz at its headquarters in Munich. He inquired how it was compatible for them to be supportive of LGBT people internationally and be headline sponsors of the WMoF in Dublin, which had denied LGBT Catholics a stall at the RDS where WMoF events were being held.

Not headline sponsor

An Allianz spokeswoman told him the company was not headline sponsor for the WMoF.

“We strongly promote a diverse and open society and corporate culture and respect different cultures and religions,” she said. “With donations, we generally aim to support local communities around the globe and follow our corporate citizenship strategy. Nonetheless, we do not take responsibility for single decisions, actions or opinions of all members of the supported organisations and corporates.”

Meanwhile, Chantal Götz, who helped organise the controversial Voices of Faith women’s conference in Rome last March, has written to Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin questioning similarities between it and the Voices of Impact symposium, particularly in the private and confidential letter of invitation sent to selected women last month.

‘Confused’

Ms Götz said in her letter, seen by The Irish Times, “some women are confused about whether there are links between the event that you organise and the established and legally branded Voices of Faith initiative and event”. She “noted similarities not just in the name of the event but also in the text of the invitation letter and the stated goals of the event”.