Church finances include all arrangements and activities of the Church for providing the financial means, necessary for carrying out its mission.

1. General. a) Basis in divine law. The Church, following the will of its divine founder, works in the world as a visible community. That is not possible without financial means. Therefore she claims the God-given right to acquire, own and administer earthly goods, in complete freedom and independently of any other power (CIC, can. 1495, § 1). (i) The beginnings of Church finances are to be seen already in the NT. Jesus and h…