Church collections from parishes increased by 26% last year but have not yet reached pre-pandemic levels.
Archdiocese administrative secretary Michael Pace Ross on Thursday said the Church made a surplus of € 3.4 million last year as he presented the church's financial statements in a press conference.
The increase was largely due to the fact that the Archdiocese, which is made up of more than 100 separate entities, received a dividend from APS Bank, which had not been paid out the year before. The European Central Bank had recommended that banks suspend the disbursal of dividends in 2020 to be able to better absorb predicted losses as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Throughout 2021, the Church saw an increase in revenue of €6.9 million, with collections and donations in parishes making a recovery from where they had plummeted in 2020.
Collections dipped by 40% in 2020, a year which saw churches closed for three months due to pandemic restrictions.
Collections went from a low of around €1.5 million in 2020 up to almost €2 million in 2021, but are still a way off from the over €2.5 million in collections registered in 2018 and 2019.
Donations to parishes faired better, recovering to €2.5 million, up from under €2 million in 2020.
Overall, the Church saw donations increase to €5.5 million.
Income from fundraising increased by €0.42 million to a total of €2.7 million in 2021, while income from property rental rose by €1.36 million after a number of tenants were allowed to reduce or defer their dues the year prior. Investment income brought in €6.7 million, while income from Church dues increased by 34%, with many couples choosing to postpone their marriages in 2020.
While visitors to the Mdina Cathedral Museum doubled and those to the Mosta basilica increased by 18%, the numbers were still below pre-pandemic levels, Pace Ross said.
The Church spent an additional €4.55 million in 2021 from the year prior, with two-thirds of total expenditure going towards salaries, which amounted to €31.8 million.
Operation costs, including maintenance and restoration work decreased by €440,000, while charitable donations to people in need went up by 17% to a total of €560,000.
The Archdiocese paid €1.8 million in taxes last year. It also benefitted from some €1.2 million in government schemes related to COVID-19, such as the wage supplement, quarantine leave and media support.
The Archdiocese employs a total of 1,345 lay persons in 2021, 1,052 of whom were full-time employees. It also provided remuneration to 254 diocesan priests.
The Archbishop’s Curia, which manages the administrative and pastoral activities of the Archdiocese, made a deficit of almost €2 million in 2021, compared to a deficit of €4.5 million in 2020, after disbursing €631,000 to various Church entities to carry out pastoral and social work.
Total expenditure at the Curia increased to €10 million, while employees saw their salaries increase by 17% thanks to a new collective agreement. The Curia paid some €480,000 in taxes last year.
Pace Ross said the surplus made in 2021 would help the Church continue its work and pastoral initiatives, which last year included the opening of a new Caritas therapeutic centre, investing in the B’kara and Siġġiewi homes run by id-Dar tal-Providenza, distributing food to parishes as well as environmental projects at id-Dar tal-Kleru and the Seminary.
“Donations made by the Curia have increased because families in need needed more help,” Pace Ross said, adding that the Curia worked with parishes to determine who may benefit from their assistance.
“This year’s markets remain nervous and volatile and the surplus the Church made last year was used up in the first six months of this year. The effects of the war in Ukraine, the pandemic and inflation are presenting new challenges and for the Church to continue to meet people’s needs it cannot continue to depend on traditional sources of income alone.”