The Archdiocese registered a net surplus of €2.7 million, up €300,000 from the previous year. It is made up of the Curia, Maltese parishes, the Mdina Cathedral, homes for the elderly, children’s homes, homes for persons with disabilities and the seminary.

In contrast, the Archbishop’s Curia registered a sharp drop in its net surplus, from €1.1 million in 2014 to €172,365 in 2015.

The Curia cut its operational costs by about half, while full expenditure was reduced by €500,000 – preventing the entity from falling back into the red. Income declined from roughly €8 million in 2014 to €6.4 million in 2015.

Donations sent to the Curia went up in 2015, from €150,378 in 2014 to €223,020 last year. The bulk of expenditure went to remuneration, which remained relatively stable between 2014 and 2015 - €2.9 million in remuneration was paid to priests while lay employees cost a total of €1.3 million.

When speaking of the Archdiocese in its entirety, the bulk of income stemmed from donations (€9.9 million), Investment Income (€5.8 million), Residents’ fees (€5 million) and government grants at (€7.5 million).

Michael Pace Ross, the Administrative Secretary of the Diocese spoke of Pastoral and other initiatives, such as the launching of a home for palliative care. He explained that the Archbishop made the announcement last month, and that the home would provide palliative care free of charge.

He also spoke of the upcoming restoration of Curia archives, describing the archives as “a jewel in the crown.” He said that once ready, it would be open to all, and all those wishing to research and analyse hundred-year-old documents would be free to do so.