of the clergy, and the advancement of education. Among other
funds, there is the Clergy Widows’ Pension Fund, formed by the
sale of the clerical estates formerly appropriated to the maintenance
of the widows of the clergy, and amounting to hr. 4,170,000, the
Ground-rent Fund, which originated in the redemption of certain
ground-rents belonging to the clergy, and amounts to kr. 1,429,000,
the Fish-tithes Fund, produced by the redemption of the former
tithe of the fisheries, and amounting to kr. 4,000,000, and the
various Official Residence Funds, kr. 4,016,000 in all, formed by
the sale and reduction of civil and ecclesiastical official residences,
most of which, as also the military official residences, have
formerly been church property. The total amount of capital thus
administered by the Ecclesiastical Department is nearly 3 P/a
million kr.
The bishops stand immediately under the Ecclesiastical Department
as the highest superintendents of the spiritual affairs of
the diocese. During their circuits in the diocese, they visit a third
of the parishes annually. The bishop and the prefect in the diocesan
town, together constitute the diocesan committee (stiftsdirektion),
or the church's superintending body. This board has especially
to do with matters that concern the pecuniary conditions of the
clergy, and church matters, while the bishop alone is the highest
authority in purely spiritual cases.
Many parishes both in the towns and in the country are so
large that besides the parish priest (sogneprest), several other priests
are appointed to take charge of them. These priests are generally
called perpetual curates (residerende kapellaner).
The remuneration of the Norwegian clergy has undergone important
changes by a series of organisation acts from 1897. As
far as the bishops are concerned, the changes are only slight; some
of them are paid entirely or partially out of government funds
according to a vote on the budget, as the state appropriated, at
the time of the Reformation, the greater proportion of the episcopal
tithes. The rest of the revenues are made up of perpetual
rents paid by former church lands. The parish priests and the
perpetual curates in the country have the use of the glebes, and
in default of these, they receive an equivalent in money, and in
the towns allowance for house-rent. Among fixed sources of income
in the country livings, there are the parson’s tithes and several
other charges, partly ground-rents and partly more personal payments
chargeable to the owner or the holder of registered land,
of which the collecting, however, is left to the general tax-collector.
Most of the rents apart from the tithes, can be commuted at the
option of the municipality by municipal compensation, and thereby
be transferred to the rate-payers in general, which is largely done.
As far as the town clergy are concerned/these fixed sources of income,
other than allowance for house-rent, are of .comparatively
minor importance. The uncertain revenues are made up principally
of the fees for the ecclesiastical services (stole-fees), and of voluntary
offerings. For these-a minimum rate was formerly fixed as
regards the country, while spontaneity ruled in the towns. By one
of the acts of 1897, it was. resolved that no payment at all could
be made for certain of the ecclesiastical services (visitation of the
sick, and communion), nor. yet by members of the congregation
for the others (baptism, confirmation, marriages, funerals) when
they were performed in connection with the ordinary services, or
on other days especially appointed by the king. In other respects,
the fees are to be in accordance with regulations made by the Municipal
Council with the approbation of the Ecclesiastical Department.
Three fourths of the decrease thus produced in the revenues were
made up to the clergy out of the public funds of the parish or
municipality in question. The congregations can also resolve that
all payment for the religious services shall be done away with for
the members of the congregation, and replaced by a similar compensation,
which is largely done, especially in the towns. The act
has also given congregations an opportunity of making a similar
resolve with regard to the discontinuance — though in return for
full compensation — of the offerings, which is also done in many
country parishes, and comparatively even more frequently in the
towns, particularly the larger ones. Kr. 6000 is fixed as the
maximum income of priestly offices -in towns, without regard
to the income from the official residence or to allowance for house-
rent; and in the country 4000 kr. The surplus, where it is not
employed for additional religious offices, is to go towards a salary-
fund belonging to every congregation, and to which is also assigned
income in other ways, and of which the proceeds shall serve, among
other things, to gradually assume the compensation obligation
resting upon the municipal funds as explained above. The minimum
income fixed for independent church posts is 2400 kr. without
regard to the income from the official residence or the allowance