She is an Arlesian in public finance. It is regularly recommended to charge visitors to places of worship to finance the restoration, which costs several million euros per year for municipalities and the State. After Stephane Bern in 2017this time it is Rachida Dati, the Minister of Culture, who will put back on the table the idea of paying for access to some religious monuments.
In his scenes: the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Pariswhose reopening is scheduled for December 8. Together with our colleagues from Le Figaro, she emphasizes it only 5 euro ticket for each visitor It would raise “75 million euros per year”. Among our neighbors, the measure is recurrent in touristic places, but the cults often own the places, unlike in France.
There are two opposing points of view in this debate: “Those for whom the church is a place of life, widely used by the faithful, and those who have a traditional concept of the place, which sees it as a building to be preserved, to be frozen in time,” explained Marie-Hélène Chevrier, a lecturer in geography at the Catholic Institute of Paris, and an expert in religious tourism.
“We only charge for places of high historical value”
In Italy, for example, the Church is trying to fight against the establishment of an entry tax for religious buildings. Note from Italian Episcopal Conference of January 31, 2012 reaffirms the principle of free access to Catholic religious buildings whatever they are. At that time, according to the Italian site Palermo today60 of the 95,000 churches in the country filed a complaint.
The bishop’s note set precise parameters that authorize the establishment of paid tickets. It is only allowed “for tourists to visit parts of the building (crypt, treasury, remote baptistery, bell tower, cloister, separate chapel, etc.), which are clearly separated from the main church building , which must still be available for prayer. “
“There is this idea that we only pay for places with a high added historical value,” summarizes Marie-Hélène Chevrier. The Catholic Church is often against paid admission, because its – everyone to be able to access the buildings. The price can be a barrier that does not go in the direction of evangelization.
Minor provisions with the law in Italy
Access must always be guaranteed for the faithful as well as the local people, without conditions of payment. Visitor slots or advance reservations are allowed with the aim of managing visitor flows, as is the establishment of limited travel time. There is a similar system in Portugal, where most churches can be visited for free.
But of course, in Italy, even if historical monuments that are popular with visitors, such as the Cathedral of Milan or the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence are still open for free to the faithful, more and more churches are investing in them. Palermo Today, in an investigation published in October, established that many churches in Sicily sometimes charged visitors up to 4 euros for a simple prayer.
Free choice of Anglican and Spanish churches
Climate change in the United Kingdom: the Anglican Church claims free choice for religious buildings belonging to its cult: each building can choose to charge or not. Only 9 of the 42 Church of England cathedrals charge admission in 2017according to Caroline Spelman, British MP and Church Commissioner at the time, an action that ensures a link between the religious center and Parliament.
“Church leaders are responsible for deciding how best to meet their financial obligations, whether it’s on operating and maintenance costs or managing the number of visitors,” she explained in response to parliament. “All churches and cathedrals where admission is paid offer free access to people who attend services and private prayers, and some offer access to the -free on Sunday,” she added.
Paid places of worship often feature high prices. Count for example 25 pounds (30 euros) for an adult to visit St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, and 30 pounds (36 euros) for the famous Westminster Abbey, where the coronation of Charles III took place. “But the part under the Catholic Church is free,” said Marie-Hélène Chevrier.
The group is relatively similar in Spain. “Religious buildings are the private property of religious institutions, so resources must be generated to maintain and restore them,” explained July to The Cross Pablo Delclaux, responsible for cultural heritage within the Spanish Episcopal Conference. Free in Santiago de Compostela, 12 euros in Seville or 26 euros for the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, here again, everyone will see noon at their door.
2024-10-24 21:53:00
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