By Isaac Harold Gomes
Kolkata, June 29, 2026: Archbishop Elias Frank of the Archdiocese of Calcutta has introduced a revised framework for parish financial oversight, outlining new statutes for Parish Finance Committees aimed at improving transparency and accountability across local churches.
Archbishop Frank’s updated framework for Parish Finance Committees (PFCs) sets out clearer rules on membership, responsibilities and financial decision-making, replacing earlier guidelines issued in 2014 under retired Archbishop Thomas D’Souza of Calcutta.
Under the revised statutes, each parish must establish a finance committee consisting of four to six members, with preference given to laypeople who have financial expertise.
The rules also prohibit close relatives of the parish priest from serving on the committee and require that all appointments receive the archbishop’s approval.
The measures are intended to ensure independence in financial supervision and to professionalize parish administration in one of India’s oldest Catholic jurisdictions.
At the core of the new framework is a detailed set of obligations governing how parish priests must consult and work with their finance committees.
The statutes specify that the priest is “obliged to hear” the PFC when preparing annual budgets, reviewing financial reports and considering certain categories of spending.
The statutes also set clear spending thresholds for financial oversight. Parish priests must consult the finance committee before approving nonrecurring expenditures between 15,000 rupees and 25,000 rupees.
For larger capital expenses — including the purchase of new assets or major repairs — ranging from 25,000 rupees to 50,000 rupees, the priest must obtain the committee’s consent.
For larger expenditures, the rules go further, requiring the priest to “get the consent” of the committee before proceeding.
Additional approvals from the archdiocese’s financial administrator are mandated for transactions exceeding defined thresholds, as well as for property sales, leases or acceptance of certain donations.
The statutes incorporate enforcement provisions, stating that any action taken in violation of these requirements would be invalid and could leave the parish priest personally liable for resulting financial losses.
The document reflects broader concern within the archdiocese about financial governance at the parish level.
It refers to past complaints of alleged fund mismanagement and notes that an inquiry committee was established in 2024 to investigate allegations involving a parish priest at St. Teresa’s Church in Maulali.
The outcome of that investigation has not been publicly disclosed.
Observers say the revised statutes represent an effort by church leadership to restore confidence among parishioners by setting clearer rules and requiring broader consultation in financial decisions.
The framework also highlights ongoing gaps. It notes that not all parishes currently have finance committees in place, and it does not include a requirement for maintaining a comprehensive asset register, which could provide a clearer record of parish property and resources.
Even so, supporters argue that the new measures could mark a significant step toward improving governance if fully implemented across the archdiocese.
By formalizing roles, introducing checks on spending and mandating oversight for major transactions, the statutes seek to align parish administration with stronger standards of accountability.
Church officials have not indicated a timeline for full compliance, but the success of the initiative is likely to depend on consistent enforcement and participation at the parish level
(Photo courtesy of Calcutta Archdiocese)
Most churches under the Archdiocese of Calcutta do not have their own PAN for filing returns.
Several parishes rent out their banquet halls for marriages and other ceremonies. However, they do not have GST registration and the income is merged with the parish income. The Parish Finance Committee statutes must incorporate registration of GST wherever necessary, to avoid heavy penalty.
There is a dire need for all parishes (50 plus) in the Archdiocese to undergo Income Tax compliance lessons. We cannot cry minority persecution when our institutions are pulled up by the government for flagrant violation of income tax and GST rules.
In most cases where financial irregularities have been reported, the parishes were headed by Diocesan priests who do not take a vow of poverty. Instead, they make solemn promises of celibacy (chastity) and obedience to their bishop. Because they do not take a vow of poverty, diocesan priests can own personal property, gadgets, inherit money from family/benefactors, have personal bank accounts and manage their own investments. So, there is a high likelihood of parish funds and personal funds getting mixed up. This is the reason why there were allegations of siphoning off of parish funds and institution of a stillborn investigation committee in St Teresa’s Parish, Kolkata. The archbishop who instituted the Committee took the easy way out by transferring the concerned parish priest to a safe haven! He should have placed a clear proof to the parishioners that the concerned priest was clean.
It’s a praiseworthy initiative by Archbishop Elias to bring in more transparency in parish finance. Hope all parishes (50 plus) in the Archdiocese implement it. There are several parishes which do not care for financial transparency and do not believe in keeping their parishioners informed. In the new statutes the Archbishop has mandated that parishioners are stakeholders and need to be kept abreast of financial translactions, especially alienation of movable and immovable assets. Auxilium Parish Kolkata which has not had its Parish Finance Committee since 2014 when Archbishop Emeritus Thomas D’Souza launched Parish Finance Committee.
The Parish Finance Statues are silent on parish Revenues, that is which incomes of a parish come under the preview of the Parish Finance Committee (PFC). Do all the incomes (mass collections, other donations, hire of hall and other facilities) come under the PFC’s purview? What about cash collections/ cash envelopes?
What does a parish budget mean?
Does it mean cost centre-wise budgeting for its various programmes as outlined by Parish Pastoral Council (PPC) or the total income and expenses of a parish?
Does a parish send funds to the Diocesan/Archdiocesan Finance Committee (DFC)?
Will the PFC be taken into confidence during the annual audit of parish accounts?
Do PFC members get any remuneration/honorarium assuming they might generate funds for their parish?
These points should form part of the parish finance statutes, considering that church bodies are under increasing scrutiny.
The launch of the new statutes on Parish Finance Committee is a very laudable initiative by Archbishop Elias Frank to ensure transparency in parish finance. These statutes must also extend to the Catholic associations operating in the Archdiocese/ Archdiocesan premises, particularly to those who collect various membership fees, donations, etc. and have considerable accumulated funds (also called Corpus Fund). They are bound to conduct Statutory Annual Audits, hold Annual General Meeting (AGM) and regular election of its office bearers, by virtue of their registration with the Registrar of Societies, West Bengal. The 114-year-old Catholic Association of Bengal (CAB) which has its registered office at St Thomas’s Presbytery, 9/3 Middleton Row, Kolkata 700071 is one such Association of Catholic people, which has been blatantly violating these norms.
CAB’s constitution (also known as Blue Book), states that it was registered with the Registrar of Societies, West Bengal in July 2008. According to CAB’s rules, it is mandatory to conduct the election of its office bearers every three years. The last such election was held on 2nd September 2018. However, despite their elected term having lapsed on 1st September 2021, the office bearers have been forcibly continuing in office, without calling for fresh election. No AGM has been called since the 2019 AGM when CAB had a Corpus Fund of around Rs 50 Lakh. The elected president of 2018 (who prides to call herself as the “First Woman President of Catholic Association of Bengal”) would use her Trinamool connection by flaunting the nameplate “General Secretary – Trinamool Minority Cell” on her car and browbeat outspoken members with her political and administrative connection.
The erstwhile Archbishop Thomas D’Souza was very much in the know of this arm-twisting and corruption. But for some inexplicable reasons he looked the other way and opted for a quiet retirement. The mantle to clean the stable falls on Archbishop Elias. The minimum he can do is to declare CAB as Persona non grata by sending a circular to all parish priests in the Archdiocese.