The Maltese church recorded a surplus of €114,279 in 2011, following
three successive deficits, the Curia announced today at the Fra Diegu
institute in Hamrun.
The Curia's financial controller Robert Agius explained that in the
previous year the church had registered a €1.7 million deficit which was
mainly the result of the expense involved in organising the visit to
Malta of Pope Benedict XVI.
However Agius also explained that the Curia had undertaken revenue
enhancing and cost-cutting exercises, such as making better use of its
properties such as the Catholic Institute in Floriana and the Media
Centre in Blata l-Bajda.
The Curia is also in the process of installing photovoltaic panels on 41 properties in its pursuit to reduce its utility bills.
Total revenue in 2011 was of €24.7 million, a slight increase from
€24.5 million in 2010.
The largest source of income was from collections
and donations, which amounted to €7.7 million, a 9% drop from the
previous year.
However there was a €1 million increase in other incomes
which include fund-raising for Dar il-Providenza and other church
institutions.
The church also pocketed €6 million from its investments.
Expenditure reached €24.9 million from €26.2 million in 2010., with
the biggest outlay being in salaries to lay employees (€10.2 million)
and clergy members (€2.4 million).
Operational costs amounted to €9.7 million, a drop of €1.2 million
over 2010.
Agius said the decrease was the result of cost-cutting
exercises and a reduction in capital project costs. The church also paid
€939,000 in taxes.
Agius also pointed out that the Curia receives up to €2.5 million in
grants which go to teachers' salaries, Caritas and the Emigrants'
Commission among others.
The Church also forked out €486,00 in donations of which €189,000 were for the anti-divorce movement Zwieg Bla Divorzju.
The Curia's Pastoral Secretary Charles Cordina said the church is no
longer concentrating on the construction of churches but "the Church is
now concentrating on catechism and formation by opening pastoral centres
in various localities."
He underlined the Church's vocation to offer services to vulnerable
persons including children, abused women, drug addicts, the elderly and
persons with disabilities.
Cordina explained that in some cases, the
Church keeps offering services which are loss-making and it consciously
decides to do so because it is its vocation.
Cordina praised the Church's volunteers, including nuns who carry out
invaluable work for free.
This he explained, relieves the Church of
huge financial pressures.