How Czech Catholics are crowdfunding their priests’ salaries

OLOMOUC, Czech Republic — More than 6,100 donors in the Archdiocese of Olomouc in the Czech Republic have contributed to priests’ salaries through an online crowdfunding platform as the Catholic Church prepares for the end of decades of financial support from the Czech state.

The platform, called Donátor, originally launched in the Diocese of Brno to finance various parish projects. After one year of operation in the Olomouc Archdiocese, it has become a key tool in the Church’s push for financial self-sufficiency, according to data published by the archbishopric.

Father Jan Berka, a parish priest in Valašské Meziříčí and member of the archdiocesan pastoral and priest councils, described the platform in an email conversation with EWTN News as “a simple and effective way” to contribute to priests’ salaries.

“I was surprised how quickly a relatively large part of people got involved,” Berka said. “I feel support from parishioners for my ministry and I am grateful.”

Priests who actively promoted the project attracted more donors, while those who did not ended up with fewer, he observed. Most of the priests he speaks with see it as “a good project that leads to greater co-responsibility of parishioners in the running of a parish,” Berka said.

Although the system in its current form does not make parishes more cohesive, it could make a difference in the future, he said. If a given community “reaches the target amount, everything above can be used by the parish,” he continued.

Berka said he does not see a risk of marginalizing those who prefer not to contribute, since participation is anonymous.

“To be honest, I am not sure who contributes and who does not. I do not check it in any way.”

The Diocese of Ostrava-Opava is now preparing a similar fund drawing on Olomouc’s best practices, the press office of the Archdiocese of Olomouc told EWTN News.

‘It would be a shock if we had fallen asleep’

The crowdfunding initiative is part of a broader effort by Czech dioceses to prepare for the end of state contributions to churches, which will be phased out entirely by 2030 under a landmark law passed in 2012.

Financial independence is about “freedom and responsibility,” Martin Pirkl, economist of the Archdiocese of Olomouc, said in an interview with the Czech Catholic weekly Katolický týdeník.

“It would be a shock if we had fallen asleep in the last 10 years,” he said.

After years of debate following the fall of communism in 1989, the Czech Parliament passed the Act on Property Settlement with Churches and Religious Societies in 2012. The law provided for the return of property historically belonging to churches, lump-sum financial compensation, and transitional state contributions. The process took effect in 2013.

Seventeen religious communities, including the Federation of Jewish Communities, are covered by the act. The Catholic Church, the country’s largest religious body, gave up a significant portion of its claims so that smaller communities could also benefit, streamlining the negotiations.

Under the law, churches will receive a total of 59 billion Czech crowns (about $2.5 billion) by 2043 to compensate for property confiscated by the communist regime between 1948 and 1989 that cannot be returned. State contributions to churches are decreasing annually and will end entirely in 2030.

Critics at the time argued that the restitutions were overvalued or would increase public debt, and some called for a referendum on the issue. Others questioned whether Church authorities could manage large sums responsibly.

Former Culture Minister Daniel Herman said in 2017 that the state and religious communities would continue to cooperate on preserving the country’s cultural heritage, much of which — chapels, monasteries, churches — is sacral property.

“This means that they will always be platforms for cooperation,” Herman said, describing “a cooperative model” that would persist even after formal financial separation.

Preparing for full independence

To prepare for full financial independence, the Olomouc Archdiocese is building “a portfolio of investments in agriculture, forestry, financial investments, and real estate,” Pirkl explained. But the transition will be challenging because of the necessary “review of all expenses,” which he described as “a test of maturity.”

Pirkl said it will not be possible “to maintain every single dilapidated church in the countryside.” If the Church “rationally prioritizes and cooperates with the state and municipalities to save cultural heritage,” it can “fulfill its main mission,” he said.

He noted that wealthier dioceses are already contributing to those with fewer resources, such as those in the borderlands, through the Czech Bishops’ Conference.

‘A revolutionary change’

Jakub Kříž, a lawyer who teaches at the Catholic Theological Faculty of Charles University in Prague, told EWTN News that the end of state funding would have no immediate impact but that the Church will have to find new ways to cover costs in the long term.

“This is a revolutionary change,” he said, noting the assumption that greater financial independence will bring the Church more freedom.

However, the declining number of believers in one of Europe’s most secular countries will also affect the Church’s economic stability, Kříž warned.

He pointed to a deeper tension between two ways of thinking within the Czech Church: one focused on “business plans” — investing to generate profits — and another centered on people.

“Money will always be found, even if the investment is unsuccessful, and when there are no people, money is not needed,” Kříž said, characterizing the second perspective.

While disputes over the property settlement are largely concluded, Kříž said he foresees new tensions ahead — not over finances but over ethical questions.

“Criticism from the woke side will certainly come, but it will not concern property issues but rather ethical issues,” he said.