The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1851-02-06
Correspondence of the Commercial Advertiser
Finances of the Roman Church.

Ajournal published in the island of Malta, and
entitled IL CattoItco Christiano, contains curious
statistical article on the revenues Of the Romish
clergy. The article purports to be from the pen of
an Italian priest, who passed many years curate
in the Roman States present its statements in
an abridged form.
According to the public register, the value of the
real estate in the papal dominons is $195, ,000 000
The population being 100000, the proportion of
each inhabitant would be $65. The clergy, COM
number 60,000 or one in fifty of the population.
The real estate of the clergy is stated the pub
lie register at $45,00000O, equal at five per cent
to an income of $2,250,000. The cattle owned by
them are valued at $2,OOO,OOO, equivalent to an
annual income of 100000. The clergy own
$25,000,00 of State stock, on which they receive
interest These the amounts actually in the
hands of the clergy. But they have other sources
Of revenue which we will now consider
Every family wishing to make one of its sons a
priest, must procure him capital of at least $500.
There are in the Roman States about forty thou
sand priests, but half of these, belonging as they
do, to the regular orders, not required to have
patrmony. OF the twenty thousand secular priests,
suppose half are beneciaries, the capital furnished
by the other half is five millions, which is equal to
revenue of $250,000
The dowry of every girl who becomes nun
must go to her convent. This sum amounts to
much more than ten millions, but we take this
| figure as the least.
The forty thousand priests say mass every day,
| and only gratis festival days. The regular
price Of a mass at Rome is twenty cents, but the
priests rarely content themselves with this price
the festivals funerals burials elevations and par
cular chapels raise the sum to at least fifty cents
| but as a mass in the country costs only fifteen
cents, we will place the average at twenty. This
| gives revenue Of $2,726,000 year. But de-
Quoting six hundred thousand for masses said graft.
on festival and other days by curates, the sum ii
reduced to 50 GOO, 900 year
When child enters the Church at twenty -fou
hours old, he commences paying. The births arr
about 10000 year. At each baptism, tape
weighing pound is left, and gift in money 70
the curate. The average of these gifts must b
much larger, but we will place them at fifty cents
which gives an annual sum of forty-ive thousan
| dollars.
The confirmation succeeds the BAPTISM. and
said to perfect it. The dying child is confirmed a
home the others go to the church. On this oc
casion each child should give to the bishop tape
worth thirty cents, and supposing that only 60 90
| do so, the annual revenue from this souree
eighteen thousand dollars.
The marriages number about 5000 yearl,
Every body knows the expense of the acts of til
chancellor, the publications Of the bans or disper
sations from them, the permission to marry, tn
certificate OF confession, the present to the curat
etc. But to avoid the appearance of exaggeratol
we place the revenue from this source at twent,
five thousand dollars only.
In the Roman States if person wishes to e,
| any employment under Government, to marry,
enlist, to teach, to get passport, and in short,
DO thousand other things, he must have his ce
} hhcate OF baptism to put on file. As he must pr,
cure Tor each occasion another certificate the sam