Folia Canonica 12. (2009)
STUDIES - Péter Artner: The remuneration of diocesan clerics
8 PÉTER ARTNER times, and by which they can provide for the necessities of their life as well as for the equitable payment of those whose services they need. (§2) Provision must also be made so that they possess that social assistance which provides for their needs suitably if they suffer from illness, incapacity, or old age." Generally the question of the remuneration is solved in normal situations: a priest works and gets wage for his work. The question is, who has to pay (the diocese, the state, the parish etc.), how is it to be done, and what is the amount of this wage? In this article we speak about the remuneration of the diocesan priests and of those deacons, who devote themselves completely to ecclesiastical ministry. The different situations of each country are not to be examined; this article offers a survey of the norms of general law, to help those who work in the Church, and to point out what is to be taken into consideration about the determination of the sustentation of the clerics. II. Historical backgrounds 1. The Bible The Bible speaks about the wage of all workers, when the Old Testament prescribes: “Thou shall not muzzle the ox when he treaded out the corn."'' and Numeri and Deuteronomium write4 5 about the sustentation of those who serve God. The Gospel teaches the words of Jesus: “The laborer is worthy of his hire.’’6 This can be transferred to those who are working for God and his people, as Saint Paul says: “Even so had the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel.’’7 It follows from these, that a cleric, who is the worker of God’s vineyard is worthy of an equitable remuneration. 2 The Middle Ages In the Middle Ages, and in most places till the 20th century, the benefice system was the basis of the remuneration. This was the title of ordination, which offered support for the clerics,8 and nobody was to be ordained without 4 Deu 25:4. 5 Num 18:8-32; Dcu 18:1-8. 6 Mt 10:10; Lc 10:7. 7 ICor 9:14. 8J. D. Hannah, Alms for the Clergy, in The Jurist 9 (1949) 287.
