With a view to finding alternatives to replace the current government funding scheme for Catholicism provided for in section 2 of the Argentine Constitution and laws in pursuance of it, fruitful work was carried out this year between technical teams appointed for this purpose by authorities from the Catholic Church and the Argentine Government.
Through a press release issued on 9 November 2018, the Argentine Episcopal Conference openly expressed its commitment to gradually replace government funding with alternatives based on the support of communities and believers.
As a result, mechanisms and tools have been designed for use by all churches, faiths and religious communities that wish to benefit from them.
The goal is to achieve a paradigm shift which entails a change from the current government funding scheme to another in which the faithful themselves are the ones who support religious organizations.
Firstly, a joint resolution signed today by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Technology established that private educational institutions owned or administered by the Catholic Church or a religious organization registered in the National Registry of Religious Organizations can receive contributions by way of ‹funding for worship› from parents or those responsible for students attending these institutions.
The implementation of this tool will be voluntary and educational institutions will act as collection agents, that is to say, they will collect contributions in the name of religious organizations which voluntarily decide to use it.
Secondly, we have worked with the Federal Administration of Public Revenue with a view to providing and making more visible the information on tax incentives related to contributions to religious organizations.
Finally, tools which promote contributions to different religious organizations by taking advantage of benefits offered by current technology are being considered. To this end, meetings with public and private sector organizations are being held in order to achieve their implementation.
This joint, fruitful and profitable work for all entails a historic change and a strengthening of religious equality and secularism, as a result of Argentina's positive view of religion and the work of religious organizations towards achieving general welfare.
Press Release No. 499/18
