Polish government proposes radical changes to Church funding

Minister Boni (right): photo - PAP/Radek Pietruszka

Proposals for changes in the way that the Church is funded in Poland were presented by the government on Thursday at a session of the Joint Commission of the Government and the Episcopate.

Minister of Administration and Digitisation Michal Boni outlined the proposals, which would bring an end to the state bearing the burden of the clergy's health and social security costs.

These changes would effectively abolish the state's so-called Church Fund.

On average, the state pays about 89 million zloty per year (21.4 million euro ) into the Church Fund, which was set up by the communist authorities in 1950, as a means of compensating for Church property confiscated after the war.

The fund covers not only the dominant Roman Catholic Church, but also minority faiths.

At present, over 80 percent of Church funding comes from outside the fund – directly from the faithful - as revealed in a report unveiled by the Catholic News Agency (KAI) in February.

Minister Boni has proposed that the clergy should cover its own social insurance costs, in line with the nationwide norm.

He also stipulated that Polish citizens may pay 0.3 percent of their taxes to Church. He estimates that such measures – hypothetically to be introduced as of 2014 – will generate 100 million zloty per year (24.1 million euro).

The minister has asked representatives of the principal religious organisations to submit their opinions on the proposals within the next thirty days.

Prime Minister Tusk laid out possible changes to the Church Fund in his major policy statement in the wake of the 9 October general election.

The government had argued that among other factors, the clergy's pensions should be paid in line with the national norm.

Prior to today's session, Archbishop Jozef Michalik, head of the Polish Episcopate, reaffirmed that the Church Fund is not a privilege, but was created as result of losses of income from lands seized by the communists. (nh/pg)