A vast market ordinary people could not see
"As for using Church funds," Portalis then looked at the responsible priest, "Father Horst, you have absolutely no need to worry."
"After the Church relinquishes its property and taxes, the government cannot expect you to assume responsibilities in charity or education."
Even church repairs are funded by the government, similar to the repairs of public facilities like City Hall.
In that era, churches were even more important buildings than City Hall. After the government took over the Tithe, it would certainly allocate a portion of the revenue to their maintenance.
Father Dressler's expression immediately turned conflicted. "You see, in terms of education— the Church can still continue to be responsible, after all, upholding orthodox faith, combating heresy, and shaping the souls of the faithful are always important duties of the Church."
Portalis smiled and nodded.
He knew very well that the Church did not want to give up the huge profits in the education system. Although the Church seemed to invest a lot of money in various schools every year, a large part of it could be earned back from the tuition and boarding fees of children from wealthy families.
The Church has gained an excellent reputation for providing free education to children from poor families, and the various donations it receives each year are astonishing.
Finally, the greatest benefit the education system brings to the Church is actually its influence on the elite class. The hidden benefits of this are immeasurable.
Therefore, the Church does not actually want to abandon the education system.
Even charitable systems, if operated properly, can be profitable.
It's important to understand that in this era, wealthy people who want to raise funds for charity need to go through the Church – the wealthy give their donations to the Church, and the priest then allocates the funds to those in need according to the donation agreement.
These large sums of money can generate considerable profits simply by passing through the Church.
Portalis said, "You are right. It is difficult for the government to operate the education system on its own in a short period of time. It requires the selfless assistance of the Church."
"Church School may be transferred to government administration, but the Cultivator who serve as teachers will still be Church members."
"The government allocates education funds to build school facilities and pay teachers' salaries, but who can do better than the Church in teacher training and curriculum design?"
Yes, at this point he wouldn't mention the France education reforms—the education system designed by His Regent completely outclassed the Church.
The priests all nodded in agreement.
This model is simply wonderful. The government funds the schools and teachers, while the Church are the de facto administrators.
Of course, as the government gradually promotes secularization, the Church's influence on the education system may increase significantly in a few decades.
To reduce—after all, whoever pays the money has more decision-making power—but that's no longer relevant to those of you here today.
After discussing the education system, another priest asked, "Mr. Portalis, you seemed to have mentioned the Saint Isidore Society earlier?"
Portalis made the sign of the cross and said devoutly, "Agriculture is the reliable path to holiness. The Church has a duty to continue the sacred mission of Saint Isidore."
Saint Isidore is the patron saint of farmers.
"In the future, the Holy See will send people to teach the latest farming techniques to willing priests, who will then guide the farmers."
The organization responsible for this matter was the Society of Holy See. Saint Isidore Society.
"Going forward, this kind of agricultural technical guidance will become an informal 'sacred service,' for which a small fee may be charged."
Father Dressler first praised the Pope's benevolence towards farmers, then asked in a low voice, "But you seem to have said that the Saint Isidore Society bring considerable profits?"
Portalis nodded. "Believe me, farmers guided by the sacraments will see a significant increase in their harvest, perhaps even up to 30%. The responsible priest can reach an agreement with them beforehand, with a certain percentage of the increased harvest being donated to the Church. Everything depends entirely on the farmers' voluntary participation."
His certainty stemmed from data provided by a French Agricultural Consulting Company.
Farmers who receive guidance from consulting firms can increase their harvest by 10% to 30% in their first year! The difference lies in whether farmers are willing to invest in the cost of purchasing farm tools, fertilizers, and the like.
Dressler and the others were once again impressed.
Even if the Church receives one-third of the increased revenue, that's still nearly ten percent of the entire land.
Although this is far less than the proportion of income that the Church used to receive from tenant farmers on church properties, the scope is no longer limited to Church properties.
If farmers can truly increase their income, the scope of the Saint Isidore Society —no, the scope of faithful who come to receive the sacraments—will surely spread throughout the country.
In total, the Church's revenue could potentially increase several times over.
Yes, Joseph practically replicated the model of the French Agricultural Consulting Company for all the member states of the Holy Trade Alliance.
He did this certainly not just to support the Holy See's reforms.
In this process, it seems that France has given a lot selflessly without asking for anything in return, but in reality, the agricultural technologies promoted by the Saint Isidore Society mostly rely on goods produced in France.
For example, the new composting method requires a custom-made composting box with a lid, a long-handled Thermometer to measure the temperature at the center of fermentation, and a steel composting fork. It would also be best to have a Universal Flying Cart, that is, Sheet Metal wheelbarrow, which can help an adult male to complete the composting work required for 20 acres of land by himself.
There's also the need for automated irrigation technology, which requires purchasing Steam Water Pump France. Fertilizer application requires purchasing Phosphate Fertilizer and Potash Fertilizer made in France. Intensive farming requires France- made Seed Drill, Cultivator Hoe, and Cast Iron Plow, among other things.
While it may seem that France agricultural technology has boosted agricultural production in member states of the Trade Alliance, in turn, farmers in those countries have also promoted industrial production in related sectors in France.
Trading agriculture for industry is a sure way to make a profit.
Of course, France will retain some of the agricultural technology it exports, leaving its own farmers with a significant advantage.
For example, the chemistry laboratory of the France Academy of Sciences, with the guidance of a prominent figure, has developed a pesticide made from a mixture of Sulfuric Acid and lime water that can effectively control grape downy mildew.
This is also the first time in history that a synthetic pesticide has been put into use.
Currently, it is only permitted for use within France.
As darkness fell, the priests and priests remained gathered in the Church of Saint Salvati, none of them wanting to leave.
Portalis was talking about the Church forming Legal Consultation Society.
One of the reforms of the Holy See was to hand over the Inquisition to secular governments.
However, secular courts cannot immediately take on all cases, especially those involving marriage and inheritance rights, which can absolutely drive any judge crazy.
The Church's Legal Consultation Society provides specialized Lawyer and prosecutors' advisors to secular courts.
The Lawyer here are not ordinary Lawyer, but specialized "clerical Lawyer".
Only they were fully familiar with the laws concerning marriage and inheritance, because these were previously all within the scope of Church law.