Lawmakers clash over Church deserters charge

The Social Democrats (SPÖ) have spoken out against a charge on people who left the Church.

High-ranking representatives of Austria’s Roman Catholic Church signalised support for such an idea. 

Maximilian Hiegelsberger of the Upper Austrian department of the Austrian Association of Farmers said last week that people could be ordered to contribute a certain amount to the maintenance of abbeys and other buildings owned and managed by the Church.

Hiegelsberger argued that apostates were benefiting from the landmarks as well due to their positive effect on the tourism industry. 

St. Pölten Diocese Bishop Klaus Küng said he would like to discuss the idea but also stressed that it was not an urgent matter in his opinion.

Now Austria’s Social Democrats rubbished Hiegelsberger’s suggestions. SPÖ culture issues spokeswoman Sonja Ablinger branded the ÖVP official’s idea as "absurd". Ablinger stressed on Saturday that her party would not support such a "forced charge".

Already a few days before Ablinger argued her party’s stance on the issue, the Greens claimed Hiegelsberger may have been joking to mark the New Year.

Non-government organisations (NGOs) campaigning against the various privileges of the Catholic Church towards other denominations and movements pointed out that the discussion started as Austria awaited news about how many people left the Church last year.

With 87,939, more people than ever quit their membership in 2010. 

Nevertheless, the Catholic Church remains the denomination with the most members in the country.

The Catholic Church received 394 million Euros in fees from its members in 2010.

The contribution, colloquially known as Church tax, depends on people’s incomes.

Jobless members and people on low wages are freed from making any contributions while everyone else has to hand over 1.1 per cent of their salaries. 

Vice Chancellor Michael Spindelegger of the conservative People’s Party (ÖVP) – which forms a government coalition with the SPÖ – expressed willingness to discuss Hiegelsberger’s idea to charge people even after they have left the Church.

A spokesman for the financial issues department of the Archdiocese of Vienna said yesterday (Sun) his institution appreciated the current discussion. 

He claimed many parishes were struggling to make ends meet due to rising costs in maintaining and renovating their properties. 

He said the Republic of Austria was supporting them only in exceptional cases. At the same time, critics of the Church pointed out that it paid lower land tax rates than citizens and companies.

Half of Austrians aged below 30 never attend Catholic masses, according to a Karmasin poll. 

Research also shows that almost eight in 10 Austrians consider themselves Catholics. 

However, official statistics show that just 65 per cent of adult residents of the alpine country were members of the Church in 2010.

This is a decline of 19 per cent compared to the year 1981. 

Polls disclose that the number of Austrians considering the Church as a trustworthy institution have waned dramatically in the past few years, especially because of the high number of confirmed cases of sexual and physical abuse by clergymen.