Stability of the Roman Catholic Church Financing System Based on Germany

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The manuscript presents a comprehensive overview of the Roman Catholic Church's financing system in Germany, contextualizing it within significant demographic and socio-cultural changes. The introduction effectively sets the stage by delineating the unique aspects of religious associations, particularly the Catholic Church, and underscores the necessity of financial stability for fulfilling its diverse roles in society. The theoretical background is adequately provided through references to various authors who have contributed to the broader discourse on financial stability, both from macroeconomic and microeconomic perspectives.

However, the direct connection between these general financial stability frameworks and the specific context of the Catholic Church's financing system is not always explicitly drawn. It would enhance the paper if the author could more succinctly bridge the gap between the general financial stability literature and the specific challenges and mechanisms pertaining to the Church's financing.

The references cited throughout the manuscript seem relevant and contribute to building a foundation for the discussion on financial stability within the context of the Catholic Church. The inclusion of sources such as Narodowy Bank Polski, Mitrović Mijatović, Allen and Wood, and others, provide a solid theoretical framework. However, the manuscript could benefit from a more explicit integration of these references into the discussion on the Church's financing, highlighting how these general principles apply to or contrast with the Church's context. Moreover, additional references specific to the Church's financial management practices could strengthen the paper.

When it come to Clarity of Design, Questions, and Methods, here is where I find the most serious issues with the manuscript. The manuscript does not explicitly outline specific research questions, hypotheses, or methods, which makes it challenging to assess the research design's clarity and appropriateness. The paper reads more as an extensive review or discussion paper rather than empirical research. If there is empirical research involved, detailing the research design, including the data sources, analytical methods, and how these methods were applied to answer the research questions, would significantly enhance the manuscript's clarity and scholarly rigor. But it appears that no empirical research has been involved. If the author can find relevant empirical data, presenting this data in a structured manner, possibly with tables, figures, or models, would enhance understanding and provide a clear basis for the conclusions drawn. If the paper should be published without a clear research design with hypotheses (etc.), I suggest that it be classified as a review article, rather than a research paper.

As far as coherence of arguments and discussion are concerned, the discussion is informative and covers a broad range of issues related to the Church's financing, from sources of income to expenditure and the challenges posed by demographic shifts and secularization. The manuscript effectively outlines the main sources of Church revenue in Germany and discusses potential threats to financial stability. The arguments could be made more compelling by directly linking these discussions to the impacts on the Church's ability to fulfill its mission and social functions. A more critical analysis of the implications of these financial trends would also enrich the discussion. But these are mere suggestions.

The conclusions drawn in the manuscript highlight the challenges faced by the Catholic Church in maintaining financial stability amidst changing demographics and societal trends. While the conclusions are supported by the discussion, they could be strengthened by directly tying them back to specific data or findings presented earlier in the paper. A more detailed discussion on potential strategies or solutions for addressing these challenges would also provide a more robust and actionable conclusion.

Author Response

Thank you very much for reviewing our manuscript “Stability of the Roman Catholic Church financing system based on Germany”. We greatly appreciate your complimentary comments and suggestions.

All changes made to the manuscript are marked in red. We have added detailed research questions and a short discussion of challenges in ensuring the stability of the church financing system, taking into account the fulfillment of the church mission and social functions.

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

 

Line 30: Assertation that church finances are not an end unto themselves raises the question of whether there has been any analysis performed to determine what percentage of the revenue raised supports the function's articulated in article and what portion of the revenue raises support either infrastructure maintenance or institutional sustainability both of which should be separated from revenue that support mission.

 

Lines 72-23: Sentence fragment or non-sensical translation if written in languages other than English.

Lines 140-41 Sentence fragment or non-sensical translation if written in languages other than English.

Lines 143-44: Sentence fragment or non-sensical translation if written in languages other than English.

Lines 175-77: Sentence fragment or non-sensical translation if written in languages other than English.

These are a few examples of places where the English may need imrpovement. This may be the result of translation if this article were written in a language other than English.

 

Lines 92-95: Are there any regulatory or taxation trends that suggest instability of taxation as a source of revenue?

 

Lines 160-62: The presupposes that the major agent in this type of investing is the church and not other institutions or efforts. I wonder irf thisassertion holds up under further examinatiuon?

 

Lines 180-84: Not sure that the question of the stability of sources of revenue for the church is impacted by any context or connection to the mission of the church unless the sources of revenue require some continued justification that they are achieving an objective other than providing resources for the church. 

 

Lines 185-213 do not appear the advance the primary argument of the article unless this connection between the relationship of the source of the revenue and the mission of the church is more clearly made.

 

Line 245-47: What is the connection between churches being able to provide state functions and the stability of the church revenue source?

Lines 240-292: The argument in these lines is not clear.

 

Lines 310-313:The article seems to ignore the important question of what role or how the maintenance of historic real estate structures advances any of the benefits articulated in the article regarding the impact of the church. Could not these benefits be achieved through the church through different and less expenseive real estate or infrastructure?

Comments on the Quality of English Language

 

Line 30: Assertation that church finances are not an end unto themselves raises the question of whether there has been any analysis performed to determine what percentage of the revenue raised supports the function's articulated in article and what portion of the revenue raises support either infrastructure maintenance or institutional sustainability both of which should be separated from revenue that support mission.

 

Lines 72-23: Sentence fragment or non-sensical translation if written in languages other than English.

Lines 140-41 Sentence fragment or non-sensical translation if written in languages other than English.

Lines 143-44: Sentence fragment or non-sensical translation if written in languages other than English.

Lines 175-77: Sentence fragment or non-sensical translation if written in languages other than English.

These are a few examples of places where the English may need imrpovement. This may be the result of translation if this article were written in a language other than English.

 

Lines 92-95: Are there any regulatory or taxation trends that suggest instability of taxation as a source of revenue?

 

Lines 160-62: The presupposes that the major agent in this type of investing is the church and not other institutions or efforts. I wonder irf thisassertion holds up under further examinatiuon?

 

Lines 180-84: Not sure that the question of the stability of sources of revenue for the church is impacted by any context or connection to the mission of the church unless the sources of revenue require some continued justification that they are achieving an objective other than providing resources for the church. 

 

Lines 185-213 do not appear the advance the primary argument of the article unless this connection between the relationship of the source of the revenue and the mission of the church is more clearly made.

 

Line 245-47: What is the connection between churches being able to provide state functions and the stability of the church revenue source?

Lines 240-292: The argument in these lines is not clear.

 

Lines 310-313:The article seems to ignore the important question of what role or how the maintenance of historic real estate structures advances any of the benefits articulated in the article regarding the impact of the church. Could not these benefits be achieved through the church through different and less expenseive real estate or infrastructure?

Author Response

Thank you very much for reviewing our manuscript “Stability of the Roman Catholic Church financing system based on Germany”. We greatly appreciate your complimentary comments and suggestions.

All changes made to the manuscript are marked in red. We have added detailed research questions and a short discussion of challenges in ensuring the stability of the church financing system, taking into account the fulfillment of the church mission and social functions.

The English language has been improved according to the suggestions provided.