The very significant cost linked to the Pope’s visit – more than 2 million euros for just one day, according to local press, once again highlights the difficult situation of the Catholic Church in Corsica: the diocese of Ajaccio is in fact the last in France for the collection of funds, and has a structural deficit of one million euros per year.
As Le Point indicated on December 9, “each year, the curia, which ensures the general functioning of the diocese, suffers a heavy cash deficit of around one million euros. Its expenses amount to an average of three million, while its revenue represents barely two million euros.
The situation has concerned diocesan leadership for years. A few months after his installation on the island, in 2021, François-Xavier Bustillo requested a financial assessment. This initiative gave rise to a visit to the island by a team of auditors from the Conference of Bishops of France.
This audit revealed a very complex economic situation: a gap between expenditure and revenue which is increasing over the years, jeopardizing the financial sustainability of the diocesan association. Notably because the religious fund, the Church’s primary resource, which mainly covers the salary of the 11 employees and 70 priests, does not collect enough funds.
According to the commissary, only 545,000 euros were collected on the island in 2023. The diocese of Ajaccio is also the last in France for the collection of deniers: in Corsica, the poorest region of the metropolis, the donation average is 162 euros in 2023, compared to around 250 euros for the national average”.
The local press confirms this information, particularly regarding the recurring structural deficit; and it is an old problem, as Corse Net Infos wrote in 2015, giving voice to the diocesan treasurer: “the average donation was just over 100 euros instead of 90 last year. We are the last ones compared to the continent whose average donation is 180 euros. A little more than 1.30 euros per inhabitant where the national average is 3 euros. Not to mention dioceses which are 7 or 8 euros per inhabitant. It is hoped that every baptized Catholic of earning age will give to the denier. There are also all the projects that the church would like to carry out in Corsica. For the maintenance of buildings, we should spend 1 to 1.5 million euros per year, which we are currently incapable of”.
3,800 donors including 800 on the continent
Last year, Cardinal Bustillo himself worried about the weakness of the denarius in 2022: “Corsica is overwhelmingly Catholic, which is why we are on the French podium. On the other hand, as far as the denarius is concerned, we are among the last.” Despite the “270,000 people” counted as Catholics in Corsica by the Church, out of a population of 340,000 inhabitants, the bishopric counts only 3,800 donors, “of whom 800 are based on the continent”. Last year, the Church raised just over €500,000 in Corsica. An average annual donation of €147, far from the €243 granted on average on the continent“.
A fragile financial improvement in 2023
However, the 2023 accounts of the diocese of Ajaccio show a solid improvement: 708,494 euros in profit, compared to a deficit of 374,262 euros in 2022 and 13,0002 euros in deficits in 2021. There are also fairly low equity capital – in all, 8 million euros (page 27), including 2.7 million euros without right of return, 2.1 million euros of other reserves, but also 949,000 euros of loans from credit institutions, 44,242 euros of various loans, 109,000 euros of supplier debts, 133,000 euros of tax and social debts, 108,000 euros of other debts, etc.
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This improvement in 2023 is driven by the increase in legacies, donations and life insurance: 371,000 euros collected… compared to 1,500 in 2022. But also, and always, by “asset transfers”, clear sales, for almost ‘one million euros – including 532,700 euros of net exceptional profit; in 2022, the charges on exceptional income were more than twice as high (119,841 euros) as the disposals (46,260 euros).
Operating expenses increased by 2 million euros in one year, and operating income by only 1.1 million euros. It is stated on page 42 that “As the Curia’s cash flow is still very tight, forward-looking management has been put in place by the commissary and the accounting department. The Curia once again had to use parish savings to pay its expenses“.
The diocese is also weighed down by old cases – such as the debt of Father Videau, former treasurer of the diocese from 1986 to 2004, sentenced in 2010 to three years in prison (eight months closed on appeal in 2011) for having embezzled up to 2 million euros to the detriment of the diocese and the legacy of Bishop Arrighi, is still running – in 2015, it was around million euros, and we find it in the 2023 accounts, listed in receivables for an amount of 1,009,080.67 euros, then in the provisions for depreciation (page 10).
Among the 28,722 euros of provisions for risk, we still see an astonishing “provision John Doe” and another linked to a dispute over the delivery of a report to Vico. We find on page 37 this case spelled differently (John Doh affair) with “6.4 kE in fees linked to the John Doe case compared to 33 kE in 2022” et “E20k of provisions for risks and charges linked to the Serre affair, compared to 51K in 2022 (John Doh affair)“.
In the significant events of the financial year (page 26), the auditor also notes the death of the diocesan treasurer Patrick Bouis and the hiring of Ms. Rodeville-Pelletier to replace him, the general audit of the diocese in early 2023, the restart of the project for a new church in Porticcio with a new architect – the previous one, costing 2 million euros, was beyond the financial reach of the diocese, only 848,000 euros are currently in the “dedicated Porticcio fund” (page 28).
However, the products of the diocese are gradually increasing:
- collection from parishes has doubled since 2020: they then amounted to 436,000 euros, compared to 1,025,000 in 2023
- donations to parishes have increased by two thirds over three years, from 231,000 to 386,000 euros in donations – however 71,000 are linked to the replacement of the statue of the Virgin in Calvi.
- in 2023 the Curia received exceptional aid of 50,000 euros from the CEF for dioceses in difficulty
Between 2021 and 2022 – two years when the diocese of Ajaccio widened its deficits, from 13,000 euros to 374,262 euros, operating expenses increased by 500,000 euros, and income did not follow again, with 350,000 euros of increase. This year, the cost of breaking the contract with the architect of the Porticcio church cost (page 26) 44,000 euros to the diocese, while 22,000 euros had been collected for this project during the year (and 15,000 at the start of 2023 ) and allocated to a dedicated fund.
It is indicated on page 34 that the Curia “borrowed” 419,000 euros from the common account of the parishes – where they had deposited 843,000 euros, for “adjust your cash flow problems”. There are no further details on the “John Doe” case other than the amount of attorney fees paid.
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