HIS-Press-Service, 1978 (3. évfolyam, 9-12. szám)
1978-02-01 / 9. szám
HIS Press Service No.9.February 1978 Page 11 THE FINANCIAL SITUATION Up to the end of Second World War, the Church covered a large part of its expenses through the profits realized from Church-owned real estate. Except for an insignificant amount of property, however, these holdings were nationalized in 1945 as a result of the land reform. At present, the sources from which the financial means of the Hungarian Church stem can approximately be broken down as follows: ca. 60% from the parishes and the faithful, ca. 25% from state funds, and ca. 15% from contributions made by the faithful in other countries. A fixed Church tax may not be collected. It is only allowed that so-called collectors of the various parishes accept voluntary contributions from the faithful. These funds are used both for the operating expenses of the parish and for the diocesan contributions of the parishes. - The funds provided the Catholic Church by the State amount to about 34 million forints yearly and are paid mainly in the form of salary supplements for parish priests (congrua), state contributions for sickness and old age social services for priests and order members, and as state subsidies for the preservation of Church monuments. - The major part of the contributions made by the faithful in other countries reaches the Hungarian dioceses through the "Europäisches Hilfsfonds" (European Aid Fund) and the "Ostpriesterhi1fe" (Aid to the Church in Need). This money is used as financial support for the construction of churches, for the old-age support of the clerics, for Church old-age homes, for providing motorized transportation for priests, for pastoral and cultural aid, for medical assistance, for Church schools, seminaries and the theological faculty, and for the buying of printing paper and the publication of religious books. Due to the fact that they are involved neither in the collection of the voluntary Church tax nor in paying the salaries of the active priests, the ordinaries of the individual dioceses exercise the following functions: Securing the minimum salary for active priests, bringing together the necessary financial means for the education of tomorrow's priests, organizing and bringing together the pension funds for priests, taking care of the exceptional needs of the clergy and pastoral services, providing building funds and credit for the maintenance of the churches and rectories of the dioceses. Most dioceses maintain both a so-called financial adjustment fund, or a "social fund," from which the money still lacking for the above-mentioned outlays is provided, and also a pension fund for priest pensions. - The salaries of the clergy constitute a significant part of the expenses of the Catholic Church. These salaries are paid at present from money stemming, on the basis of a complicated system, from three sources (parish subsidies, state congrua, and diocesan supplements). In addition, there are the necessities provided by the parishes (living quarters, heating, lighting). As to the size of the salaries, the aim is to bring them to a level approximately that of secondary school teachers.
