The Dar tal-Providenza ended 2007 with a favourable balance of €892,150 (Lm383,000).

Financial controller Robert Agius told a news conference yesterday that while the home’s expenses increased by €137,433 (Lm59,000), it received an income of €1,059,864 (Lm455,000) more than in 2006.

He said he could not understand the trend that while when there were very few inheritances, donations to the home were low, when inheritances were high, donations were also high.

Mr Agius said that parishes and the Cathedral also enjoyed a positive balance obtaining a very similar result to the previous year.

This was because although maintenance and repair expenses had increased, they remained on a low level compared to expenses in the past year. Positive results were also acquired because of an increase in visitors and in the fees of the Mdina Cathedral Museum which amounted to more than €232,937 (Lm100,000).

Parishes saw an increase in income from collections and investments. The increase in collections was the first they enjoyed since 2001 and this could be due to the works carried out in parishes and appeals for more generous donations.

Income from investments in general saw an increase of €412,219 (Lm177,000). This was due to arrears in the interests the diocese received on the adjustments of Church Bonds. Without this, income would have been lower than in 2006.

Mr Agius said that the church had to pay more wages to its employees in 2007 which it increased by 42 to 829, not including the 259 priests who were also remunerated by the diocese.

These was also an increase of more than €1,164,686 (Lm500,000) in work and repair related expenses over the previous year.

There was also an increase in the expenses of the Ecclesiastical Tribunal which ended 2007 with a loss of €289,503 (Lm124,284). The archdiocese was subsidising cases at the tribunal by €3,494 (Lm1,500) per case, he said.

Subsidies to children’s and old people’s homes and to the media were also increased.