The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1957-09-27
The Church in Italy:
Proposed Increase of Clergy
Salaries Long Overdue
BY ERIK v. KUEHNELT-LEDDIHN

These days a monarchist deputy in the Italian Cham
Der, the Honorable Del Fante, proposed an increase in
the state salary of the Italian clergy.
This had to come from an italian righf-winger-a
Monarehist, a Liberal, or q Neo-Fsseiss - because fhs
parties Of the Left would never dream of taking such an
initiative and the huge Catholic party, the Christian
Democrats, obviously could not do 1t Just because they
are a Catholic party representing Catholic interests.
Del Fante proposed basic increases, and special ones
for those members of the clergy holding a rank for more
than 20 years. To American readers all this may sound
rather strange, but the origin of a state-salaried clergy
which goes back, here and there, to the end of the 18th
Century only and is I thus of a comparatively recent date
lies in the fact that the various states, from Portugal
to Poland, and from Belgium to Bulgaria. confiscated all
Church property in the time of the Enlightenment:
The governments, inclined towards abSolutiSrn,
feared and hated the Church and thought that property
gave her power. Thus they confiscated it but, unlike mod
ern governments, they still had the decency to offer
some recompensation for the rape. Since the income
from the confiscated property had served to cover the
living expenses of the clergy, the State felt morally OBJ
lged to take over this burden.
The sums then in question amounted to roughly be-
tween three and five percent OF the value Of the eonfis.
Gated property. Actually the clergy receives one rather
than two percent. A state like Hungary or YusosIavis,
needless to say, refused TO pay another penny as soon as
they became communist. Nor did they return the prop
erfy stolen bv their predecessors. In this they copied the
Bourgeois" French government Of the early 2oth Cen.
fury.
What, then, are at present the salaries of the Italian
hierarchy? They are truly pitiful. An archbishop with a
metropolitan see gets less than 1000 dollars a year, bish-
OBS and abbOtS about 1850 dollars, village priests about
$50, curateS about 200.
Del Fante proposed $500, $500, 1850, and $50 dol
lars respectively with a 80 percent raise after 20 years.
1t is true that pastors and their curates get some addi-
tional fees for special functions and administrations
Masses, nuptlalS, baptisns, etc. Yet, everything taken
into consideration, even if we bear in mind that a dollar
in Italy buys between 80 and 70 percent more goods and
services than in the United States. the general picture re-
mains truly depressing.
One has to compare the $50 dollars per annum of a
village priest with the 1000 dollars a year of a better
qualified italian worker. All of which means that the
Italian priest lives in real proverty. Poverty and priest
hood are two items which, in the Latin countries, go to-
gether: AS a matter of fact, a priest who owns money
privately will take care not to display it. GIe would, for
instance, not travel in first class
Considering the anticlericaism prevalent in so
many areas of the Old World the poverty of a large part
of Europes clergy has its points, but l am afraid the
drawbacks are even more considerable.
Priests in Northern Europe, where they are finan-
cially a great deal better off, have thus an opportunity
to do good works. How many students in Austria, Ger
many, Holland, and Switzerland have been helped by
generous priests to complete their studies.
The other problem is malnutrifon, the inability to
subscribe to theoIoaieal and cultural periodicals, to buy
books and to travel. All Of Europe is travelling today,
ways in various parts Of the Continent, they come home
with "idess" and new notions, while the INDECENT priest
gets all this valuable information only second hand.
/ wish that the priest from the Mediterranean area
(Spaln, Portugal, Italy, could see Catholic life further
north. There is no problem about contacts the other way
round. For a German priest a visit to Rome is no insol-
able financial problem.
The increase in Italian living standards has been al
in Italian churches posters calling for pilgrimages to the
deserted Catholic shrines of Scandinavia.
The appearance of Italian pilgrims in Sigtuna Skok-
loster is, in a way, a revolution-a spiritual but also a
harder currency than the soft Swedish crown. It is
high time that italian priests share in this new wealth
which the laity is already enjoying.
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