11 May 2009

The Bishops' Conference: How It Spends Our Money

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I have had a go at the accounts of the Bishops' Conference and it makes interesting reading.

Six dioceses pay more than £100K towards its work: Hexham and Newcastle £107K; Salford £123K; Liverpool £125K; Birmingham £142K; Southwark £152K; and Westminster £265K. Special thanks to our friends in Greater London for bearing this burden. And congratulations to the chief accountant of the Diocese of Menevia who has contrived things so that he pays a total of £350. Not £350K; £350.

Some of the grants are fascinating: £22K to the National Board of Catholic Women; "£11K to the National Council of Priests; and under £3K to the Union of Catholic Mothers. Ho ho ho.

At least ecumenism is alive and well: £159K to fund ecumenical organisations, and £96K to support the Bishops' own ecumenical activity.

International Catholic activity: £7.5K to the Council of European Bishops' Conferences, and £6.7K to the Commission od the Bishops' Conferences of the European Union.

And £212K on the Catholic Communications Network. That's why the Church's message is ringing so clearly through the highways and byways of this great country of ours.

They spent nearly £4M, and this is on top of anything our Dioceses spent: none of this has gone on Churches or Cathedrals or Schools.

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