This article presents the relations of Catholic church factories with the public authorities. It proposes a perspective, discusses the nature of a public institution and the tasks of the institutions, the recognition procedure, the management bodies, revenue and expenditure, relations with the municipality (including coverage of the deficit) and various other legal provisions. The article concludes with a reflection on the prospects for reform. The article focuses on the situation in Wallonia, but references are also made to the situation in Flanders and the Brussels-Capital Region.