Education - Financial problems: Eichstätt University to remain in existence
Despite tight church coffers, the Catholic University of Eichstätt (KU) is to continue to exist in its current form, at least in the coming years. "The Free State of Bavaria and the Catholic Church are jointly committed to the KU Eichstätt-Ingolstadt and agree that the range of courses and research capacities should be maintained over the next five years," the Freising Bishops' Conference announced on Tuesday.
On the previous evening, representatives of the Ministry of Science, the Bishops' Conference and the supporting foundation had been looking for a solution for the university in the Altmühl Valley in Upper Bavaria, which is steeped in tradition and has been recognized by the state for more than 40 years. "Both the state and the church are committed to the Catholic university, now and in the future, but the financial possibilities that come from the church have become more difficult," explained Cardinal Reinhard Marx at a round table discussion in the Munich Press Club on Tuesday.
For this reason, the Free State will now, as a first step, relieve the burden on the church and take over half of the services that exceed the obligations under the concordat, amounting to at least 5.5 million euros per year. The church, in turn, will undertake to bear the other half, explained Marx. In addition, a joint working group is to examine how funding can be secured beyond 2028 in times of declining church tax revenues.
According to the Bishops' Conference, the Bavarian (arch)dioceses contributed 21.6 million euros to the financing of the only Catholic university in the German-speaking world this year. 10.6 million euros of this was based on the concordat between the state and the church, 11 million euros went beyond this agreed framework. Next year, the church's concordat share will be 11.5 million euros.
Communication
Read also:
- A clan member is punished here
- Traffic lawyer warns: Don't talk to the police!
- Will he be convicted as Jutta's murderer after 37 years?
- He also wanted to kill his cousin
- The Catholic University of Eichstätt, despite facing financial challenges within the Catholic Church, will persist in its current form for the coming years, as confirmed by the Freising Bishops' Conference.
- In an attempt to address the money problem at the University in Munich's Altmühl Valley, which has a long-standing tradition and state recognition, representatives from the Ministry of Science, the Bishops' Conference, and the supporting foundation held discussions to find a solution.
- To lighten the financial burden on the church, the Free State of Bavaria has decided to assume half of the services exceeding the concordat obligations, equivalating to at least 5.5 million euros annually.
- The Catholic Church in Eichstätt, as part of the agreement, will be responsible for the remaining half of the services and will collaborate with Bavaria to explore funding options beyond 2028, facing the declining church tax revenues.
Source: www.stern.de
