The economic situation of the Church in France is not sufficiently familiar to the French. However there is “a positive perception of the role of the Church in aid to the more disadvantaged and in the creation of social bonds”. That is what emerges from the findings of a survey, published in recent days by the French Bishops’ Conference. The aim of the survey was to test the opinion of the French about the material situation of the Catholic Church in France. Originally intended for diocesan treasurers, the study emphasizes the need “for better communication with the public to foster understanding of the material challenges of the Church today”, seeing that two-thirds of the French declare themselves Catholic. The finances of the French Church, which does not receive any subsidies from the State or from the local authorities with the exception of the dioceses of Strasbourg and Metz (under the terms of the Concordat) are administered in a decentralized and self-sufficient way by each of the 95 dioceses into which the country is divided. The survey shows that “the costs of the dioceses are tending to increase due to the growing burden of salaries, social security contributions and the costs of the management of properties”. All revenues of the dioceses come from the generosity of the faithful: the annual collection alone provides 30% of the resources, and in 2001 yielded 180 million euros, a sum that is growing but “not enough to cover the rising costs, thus placing most dioceses in a situation of material precariousness”. Priests and bishops receive a net stipend varying between 747 and 945 euros per month, while those who work in ecclesial structures receive a salary not in excess of 1450 euros per month for a full-time contract. Buildings (churches, cathedrals, etc.) built before 1905 belong to the local authorities and to the State, while the dioceses are the owners of properties and churches built after that date.
