Church in France: No Lack of Generosity

In France, the Church can only exercise her mission through donations. She receives neither subsidies from the Vatican, nor subsidies from the state, by virtue of a 1905 law. Thus, her main resources are: parishioner contributions, collections, mass offerings, and incidentals, i.e., what the faithful give for the celebration of a baptism, a marriage, or a funeral.

Without forgetting the legacies that allow half of the dioceses of France to meet their operating expenses, the other half living sufficiently from the regular donations granted to them.

The fact may seem surprising, but despite the publication in 2021 of a damning report – with a highly questionable methodology – on the management of abuse in the Church, the generosity of the faithful has not diminished, since the normal parish resources increased by 10% in 2021 compared to 2020 – a dark year due to the health crisis – reaching 537 million euros, compared to 489 in 2020. A record was reached in 2017, when the Church raised 541 million euros.

For Ambroise Laurent, Assistant Secretary General of the Episcopate in charge of economic concerns, the news is unexpected: “It is a surprise.… Last year, we had no backlash (from the Sauvé report, ed.). The faithful were scandalized, … suffered the shock, but they are there,” he rejoices, insisting on the fact that “it had no effect on donations, nor even on the collections, offerings, gifts.”

But there are a few shadows on the scene. First of all, the Conference of Bishops of France is worried about an increase in the energy bill of 125 million euros over 2022 and 2023, i.e., a 15% increase. Expenditure on heating and electricity represents 11.5% of operating costs – excluding payroll – of dioceses and parishes.

To get through this “energy shock” and galloping inflation, the episcopate is betting on a 20% increase in the parish donations, a fundamental resource for the Church which in 2021 represented almost half of current donations.

At the same time, these savings measures are already underway at all levels, assures Ambroise Laurent, as well as economies of scale with energy purchase contracts “which make it possible to make wholesale purchases.” 

Another concern is that of the number of donors who make parish donations, which continues to decline, quite logically following the same trend as the number of practicing Catholics. Accordingly, in 2016, 1.1 million households contributed, compared to 977,000 in 2020. But the average donation amount has increased, from 226 euros in 2016 to 274 euros in 2020.

Finally, there is good news for the 13,114 diocesan priests who, taking inflation into account, will see their stipends increase by 2.5% on January 1, 2023, from 984 euros to 1,009 euros net monthly.