Ethics, Ownership, and Comparative Law Take Centre Stage on Day Two of Church Endowments Conference

May 31, 2025
|In CUE News, Events
|By ICT

Erbil, Kurdistan Region, 27 May 2025 — The Church Endowments Administration Conference at the Catholic University in Erbil (CUE) moved from foundational principles to detailed practice on its second day, offering six expert-led lectures that mapped the ethical, legal, and comparative dimensions of Church property management across the Middle East.

Building on opening-day discussions of constitutional guarantees and historical context, today’s sessions deepened the conversation in three directions: the theological basis of ownership, canonical ethics, and regional legislative models. Scholars and clergy highlighted how sound governance of Church assets underpins both religious mission and public trust.

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Spotlight on Ownership and Ecclesial Responsibility

Father Dr Raymond Gerges, OFM, opened the programme by dissecting The Right of Ownership in the Church and Civil Law. He argued that canonical norms on property find their fullest protection when mirrored in civil codes, urging closer dialogue between Church jurists and state legislators.

Abbot Dr Antoine Rajeh followed with Ethics of Dealing with Temporal Church Goods, stressing that transparency is not only a compliance issue but a pastoral duty: “When stewardship is ethical, the faithful see their gifts transformed into service,” he told participants.

Turning to specific rites and jurisdictions:

  • Bishop Jihad Battah examined Management of Church Funds in the Legislation of the Syriac Catholic Church, outlining internal checks that ensure resources flow to parish life, education, and social outreach.
  • Father Dr Humam Khazouz presented Jordan’s model in Establishment and Management of Church Endowments in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, describing how coordinated Church-state registration has reduced disputes and boosted donor confidence.
  • Dr Dani Samaha offered a Comparative Legal Study of charitable versus family endowments, highlighting gaps where charitable trusts could better support vulnerable groups.
  • Lawyer Khaldoun Al-Salayta closed the series with The Treatment of Christian Endowments in Jordanian Law, showing how recent amendments clarify trustees’ powers while safeguarding beneficiaries’ rights.

Key Takeaways and Next Steps

  1. Convergence on Ethics – Speakers agreed that ethical management is the common denominator across rites, nations, and legal systems, ensuring legitimacy and donor trust.
  2. Need for Harmonised Statutes – Comparative sessions revealed best-practice elements—clear registration, transparent reporting, and defined trustee roles—that could inform pending Iraqi and KRG legislation.
  3. Regional Collaboration – The Jordanian experience, in particular, was flagged as a template for streamlined state–Church cooperation that respects ecclesial autonomy.

Looking to Day Three

Across six incisive lectures, Day Two placed ethics, ownership, and comparative law at the centre of endowment governance. Speakers converged on three priorities: embedding transparent ethics in every transaction, aligning canon and civil statutes to protect donor intent, and learning from regional models—especially Jordan’s—for streamlined Church–state cooperation.