How and how much a priest earns in the church of different countries

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

The attitude towards clergy in the world is completely different, so their pay is different, and the amount of taxes and pensions are different. Let's see how and how much priests from different countries earn?

Italy

So, in Italy there is a church fund specially created for this purpose. His duties include:

• Management of all contributions from parishioners of Catholic and other religious institutions throughout the country.
• Organization of pension payments to Catholic priests and clergy of other faiths.
• The fund is administered by the Social Security Institution, which operates under the Priests' Pension Regulatory System Agreement. This agreement has been confirmed by the Italian Bishops' Conference.
• The Fund's budget is formed from: voluntary donations from citizens and voluntary tax deductions in favor of the Vatican.

In 2000, the Foundation included priests who did not have Italian citizenship but worked in the country's diocese.

Priests of Italy go on a well-deserved rest inaged 68 years. The average pension is 1,100 euros.

Germany

Germany equates priests with civil servants. Therefore, the approach to paying pensions to German clergy is the same as to officials, only the state pays there, and here the church pays. The only thing is that the pension fund of the church has nothing to do with the pension provision of the country.

The Church budget for salaries and pensions includes only its own funds. To understand how much priests earn, it is important that church income is made up of church tax, which is levied on members of a religious community. Its size is approximately 8-9%, depending on the federal state.

UK

In the United Kingdom, the approach to providing clerics is somewhat different. Here, this category of church workers belongs to the general category. Anglican pastors and Catholic priests are literally required to pay taxes. If they have privileges, they are also standard. State subsidies also do not apply to either the state Anglican or Catholic churches.

Money proceeds from funeral and wedding processions, baptisms of children, etc., are consolidated and sent to the wage fund. If there is an additional income received from education or journalism, then it is declared by a spiritual worker and is also taxed.

How much a priest earns depends entirely on his age and seniority. The size of his income determines subsequent pension payments.

Spain

Spanish approach to paying pensions to priests is similar to English. Here it is also paid by the church and is formed from monthly deductions from the salaries of the clergy. The state allocates subsidies that are used for:

• diocese maintenance;
• administrative expenses.

In the late 70s of the XX century, an agreement was signed in Spain that regulates the economic activities of the church. Every month, the state allocates about 12 million euros from the country's budget for the maintenance of the diocese. In addition, funds come from donations from parishioners. Also in 2007, they introduced the possibility of transferring 0.7% of income tax to individuals at the expense of the Catholic Church. This amount is estimated at 150 million euros per year.

So how much do priests in the Church of Spain earn? Their approximate monthly income is as follows:

• archbishop - 1200 euros;
• bishop - 900 euros;
• priest - 700 euros.

There is also a bonus system for chaplains, as well as clergy at hospitals - 140 euros, for canons - a maximum of 300 euros.

If a priest teaches or works as a nurse in public or private institutions and receives a salary for his work, then he does not receive anything from the parish. The employer is the one who pays the priest's salary in this case.

The clergy have a minimum pension.

Czech Republic

Calculation of pensionclergy in the Czech Republic is no different from the state. That is, it is formed from the calculation of the average wage of an employee over the past 30 years. As such, there is no pension fund for the clergy in the Czech Republic, and the pension is regarded as a kind of bonus from the state.

Priests are classified as civil servants in the public sector. But not a single official receives as much as the average priest earns - the income of the clergy is 30 percent lower and amounts to about 600 euros.

France

France at the beginning of the twentieth century strictly divided religion and state. Therefore, the entire income of the church here is formed exclusively from donations.

How much do priests in this country earn? According to media reports, the average monthly amount of money is approximately 950 euros (with a minimum wage of 1100 euros), housing is provided for the clergy, but they pay for food themselves.

Both Catholic priests and Islamic imams, Buddhist monks all receive a state pension. The average monthly pension is about 900 euros.

Belgium

And how much does a priest in Belgium earn? Unlike France, Belgian priests are paid monthly wages by the state. It depends on the position, for a bishop it ranges from 1600-8400 euros. Catholic, Protestant, Anglican, Orthodox and Jewish clergy receive salaries.

The state also pays bonuses every year: in summer and winter, from the monthly calculation of the last salary.

Priests can rent premises, and often the local government will cover the rent.

The preservation and restoration of cultural religious buildings are the responsibility of the state in conjunction with the church. In addition, activities related to the practice of faith are financed from the state budget. For example, wine for parishioners during the service.

Despite state support, religious institutions are required to pay property taxes.

USA

In the United States of America, the pension of the clergy directly depends on how much the priest earns during his working life. Consists of the following monthly payments:

• state (from the taxes paid by the priest to the state to the social insurance fund) - often less than $ 1,000;
• church (from the income of priests from pastoral work) - about $ 2,000;
• additional individual.

Russia

In Russia, priests receive both a salary and a pension.

Salary is actually set by the Rector, and most often it is calculated from the total income of the parish.

How much a priest earns depends on the following:

1. First of all, on the amount of the taxparishioners. The more money the parish collects, the higher the wages of church workers.

2. Plus, the salary includes a certain part of the income from the sale of candles, icons, crosses and other church goods, as well as donations for baptism, weddings, memorial services, prayers, funerals, etc. All church activities are tax-free.

3. Liturgy, Matins or Vespers - all these are common services, besides there are private ones, at the request of the parishioners - they are called trebs and are paid extra.

4. Additional subsidies from the patriarchy and diocese. In 2013, according to a document adopted by the Orthodox Church, priests in need receive financial assistance from the dioceses, and the amount is determined by a specially created commission.

5. Support for sponsors (in salaries, repairs, maintenance of temples, etc.).

Thus, if a priest's salary is low, it means that his work is bad, there are few believers who are ready to buy church products, order trebs, and simply donate to the church.

Monthly, the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation receives deductions from parishes for each clergyman, subsequently, pensions are paid from the fund to church workers.

All economic issues of the Russian Orthodox Church are managed by the Financial and Economic Department of the Moscow Patriarchate.

This department developed the Regulations on the material support of clergy, according to which the salary of priests should be based on the average salary of social workers(teachers, psychologists, medical staff, educators, etc.) in the region.

Of course, all the points of this Regulation are purely advisory in nature, and their implementation largely depends on the current state of affairs, so it is quite difficult to answer the question that concerns everyone: “But in fact, how much do priests in Russia earn ?”.