In an address during the pastoral visit of Pope Benedict XVI, Archbishop Paul Cremona O.P. stated that “the starting point of the Church is love for every man”.
In this respect, the Church in Malta has always been on the forefront with respect to pastoral work among those who find themselves in difficulty. For this reason, she has set up several institutions in order to provide her services. Many are those who have consecrated their lives that they may offer such services, whereas a large number of lay people have also felt the need to shoulder the task of working In favour of those who are weak. The Church has invested her energy, time, human and material resources, as well as providing financial aid. This charitable initiative could not have been undertaken without the vital contribution of the Maltese people who contributed generously.
In fact, as stated during the 1999 – 2003 Diocesan Synod, “throughout its long history, the Church in Malta has always come to the aid of needy people …. it has always been part of the tradition to work in favour of those who are in need (Djakonija u Gustizzja).
“The Church in Malta is a pioneer when it comes to caring for the neglected members of our society. It was one of the first entities to respond to the problem of drug-abuse and to support those people encountering marriage and family difficulties. She still bears a great responsibility towards children who come from families who are in serious trouble, people who have no support from their families, the elderly, disabled persons, and others. In spite of this, the Church never declares that she has done enough” (Kultura, Socjeta, Knisja).
This is the reality which we face every year when we come to draw up this financial-pastoral report of the Church. On the one hand, there are several social institutions which demand large subsidies from the Central Fund of the Archdiocese in order that they may remain operational; on the other hand there are new projects which require the solidarity and aid of the Church, to which she feels unable to respond, due to large amounts of money which are required in order to launch these projects and sustain them.
Considerable expenses for the social services offered by the Church
The report for the year 2010 once again reveals that the largest amount of funds from the Central Fund of the Archdiocese went towards social initiatives amongst the elderly, children and families in distress. This is over and above the usual services and offered by the Curia as well as parishes.
In fact, in order to provide financial assistance for two children’s homes, the Central Office for Children’s Homes paid out €163,000; and €203,000 for three homes of the elderly, besides the income coming from fees paid by the elderly and children’s allowances from children’s homes. The Dar tal-Providenza this year breathed a sigh of relief, following great losses registered in 2009 which amounted to nearly half a million Euro. Although donations registered were €300,000 less than those of previous years, a decrease In expenses and an increase in fundraising made up for this shortfall.
With respect to the Ecclesiastical Tribunal, income from payments fell to €7,400. It was subsidized to a total of €446,000 from the Central Fund. It is sufficient to state that payments for professional services amounted to €125,000.
Two other areas which required heavy subsidies were those of the media and formation of priests. With respect to the Church’s media, including RTK, Gensillum online and the TV Unit, the subsidy amounted to €568,000, whereas €159,000, was paid out in order that some priests attend specialized courses abroad.
The overall expense for the social services offered by the Church would have been greater had it not been for grants offered by the State which contributed towards some of the services, namely the work performed among refugees, disabled persons residing at Dar Pirotta, victims of domestic violence who reside at Cini Institute and the Drug Rehabilitation Centre run by Caritas.
Over 500 lay employees in the Church’s Social Services sector
The greatest expense of the Archdiocese lies in the salaries which are paid to lay employees. This is owing to the fact that the number of consecrated persons who are able to offer their services is low (this would have considerably lowered the total expense). It is sufficient to state that during the year 2010, out of the 528 full-timers and 330 part-timers which the Archdiocese had on her payroll, 325 full-time and 189 part-time were employed in social Institutions. These figures register 60% of the staff who are employed in the field of social services. There are also a considerable number of volunteers who offer their services free of charge.
In all, the Archdiocese paid out a total of €10,308,000 to lay employees, an increase of €160,000 over the previous year. We must also mention the remuneration of 267 priests, which amounts to nearly €2,400,000, and which is subsidized by the Central Fund to the amount of €333,000. Notwithstanding the fact that this fund includes donations from collections in parishes and from other investments.
Another considerable challenge for the Archdiocese is the operational expenses. These expenses include the water/electricity bills, gas and fuel €1,424,000; food €822,000; printing €545,000; professional services €459,000; insurance, licenses and permits €481,000. The total sum of these expenses within the Diocese rose to €7,390,000, registering an increase of €470,000 over the previous year.
Tax payments also increased: from €257,000 in 2009 to €392,000 in 2010, an increase of €135,000.
Another common challenge which is usually quite substantial is that of works and maintenance. In this area, there was a decrease in expense, so much so that only €3,546,000 was spent, registering a decrease of €1,365,000 over the previous year.
With respect to feasts in parishes, the Church registered a decrease of €68,000. In 2010 parishes spent a total of €396,000.
The pastoral visit to Malta of Pope Benedict XVI
During 2010, the Diocese incurred extraordinary expenses involving the pastoral visit of the Pope in Malta. The Church in Malta was largely responsible for the organization and expenses of the three main events: at St Paul’s Grotto in Rabat, the Mass on the Granaries and the meeting with Youth at the Valletta Waterfront. No donations were solicited from the public in order to subsidize these events. The major expenses involved were the construction of the three platforms which were built purposely for these events. Other expenses arose from the purchase and hiring of audio and visual equipment which were necessary in order for the public to participate and enjoy these events. The total amount also includes the purchase of several items (booklets for the celebration) which were distributed free of charge and other items such as commemorative medals. These medals were sold to minimize costs. Several expenses were minimized such as those involving professional services, since several persons offered their services voluntarily, both during the period of preparation for the visit as well as during the visit itself. Several items which were purchased were re-sold (such as the chairs which were made of re-cycled material that is environmentally-friendly). There were also some donations. The total net expense totaled €1,083,000.
The participation of Christians in the work of the Church
The greatest imbalance with respect to expenses is registered within the collections made in parishes and other donations which amount to €8,966,000, a decrease of €651,000. Besides this there is an income from investments of €5,989,000, which during 2010 also registered a decrease of €355,000. Further contributions are those payments for services rendered in children’s homes (children’s allowances), and in homes for the elderly (fees), the latter amounting to a total of €3,177,000, an increase of €117,000.
When one considers the income and expenditure for the financial year 2010, the result is a loss of €1,750,000. It must be borne in mind that we are referring to more than 100 different entities and each entity is administered independently.
Challenges for the future
Naturally, this picture is not complete unless we mention the vital work which is performed by the Church with respect to Christian and academic formation on various levels, liturgical worship which is continually held in local parishes, as well as pastoral work among children adolescents, youths, engaged couples, married couples, disabled persons, foreigners who seek refuge in our country, and the promotion of Christian values throughout our society, in several areas such as culture, environment, justice, education, work and sport.
This extensive mission demands the commitment of several people, mostly volunteers who place their time, energy and talents at the service of the Church. This work involves also many expenses which are being subsidized by the Central Fund of the Archdiocese. The greatest problem is that the Church has reached a point where there are not enough funds to cater for all the commitments which the Church has and any other new projects which it wishes to embark upon.
Click here to download the Financial and Pastoral Report for the year 2010
Click on the photos to enlarge. The photos of the Archbishop’s events may be obtained from PHOTOCITY, Valletta. Tel: 21236723. Email: [email protected]