A financially challenged Catholic Church in Scotland is urging people to choose church over football matches and Netflix subscriptions.
The Catholic Church in Scotland is facing financial challenges due to declining donations that have coincided with a decline in attendance. Scottish Catholic Media Office Director Peter Kearney says that since the start of the COVID pandemic, only approximately 75 percent of attendees have returned to the buildings of the Catholic churches in Scotland.
The Times reports that the Archdiocese of Glasgow, which is known as the most distinguished Catholic diocese of Scotland, has seen a drop in income from around £26 million in 2018 to roughly £10 million in 2021.
Premier Christian News reports:
The Catholic Church in Scotland is calling on people to prioritise giving to the church over things like Netflix subscriptions and football matches.
It comes as the church says it’s facing a perfect storm of financial challenges because declining attendance has led to less money on the collection plate.
Peter Kearney, director of the Scottish Catholic Media Office, has been speaking to Premier about the situation.
“I think there’s a cultural issue here with a lot of Catholics not really thinking about the financial implications of having a church or running a church. Perhaps there is also a reluctance to talk about money.
“Also, our clergy or priests don’t see themselves – and this is fair enough – as the financial advisors or fundraisers. Their job is a spiritual one, they’re there to give pastoral leadership and guidance. Then the education comes in by saying to people, ‘Look, you need to prioritise’. You need to give some sort of perspective.
“I use the example of your Netflix subscription or your golf club membership, or your season ticket for football. Look at all those things and see in an average month whether you spend more on those things than you give to the church. If you do, you probably need a bit of a spiritual and financial reality check.”
According to the Times, Scotland’s most prominent Catholic diocese, the Archdiocese of Glasgow, saw its income plunge from about £26 million in 2018 to just £10 million in 2021.
Kearney says that since the pandemic, Catholic churches in Scotland have seen only about 75 per cent of people return to buildings to worship.
Read the full article here.
About Post Author
