With Italy facing the prospect of drastic cuts to balance its budget
in the years to come, a growing number of ordinary Italians are
criticising massive tax breaks given to the Roman Catholic Church.
A Facebook page set up by leftist campaigners in recent weeks
asking the Vatican to help ease austerity in Italy has already collected
130,000 supporters.
It asks for numerous exemptions given to the Church
to be revised.
The Internet mobilisation is all the more striking since the
subject is considered absolutely taboo for Italy's ruling class - both
conservative and liberal - which is traditionally wary of criticising
the Vatican directly.
One of the proposals being made by campaigners is that the
thousands of properties owned by the Church - including vast tracts of
prime real estate in the centre of Rome - should no longer be exempt
from local housing tax.
Critics say that the properties covered by the exemption include
highly profitable enterprises such as hotels and sports complexes.
Weekly news magazine L'Espresso reflected some of the bubbling
anger with a headline in its latest issue reading: "Holy Tax Evasion".
"The law is not the same for everyone," the magazine said in its
piece, accusing successive Italian governments of bowing to the bishops.
The Church also benefits from a yearly share of income tax that
Italians can pay to it instead of to the state - the result of an
agreement between former prime minister Bettino Craxi and the Vatican
dating back to 1984.
Supporters say that the tax breaks are not as extensive as
sometimes reported and are justified because the Catholic Church plays
an important role in social welfare, complementing the role of the
state.
Italian bishops have struck out against the criticism, with the
religious daily Avvenire pointing to "an impressive political-mediatic
campaign".
Avvenire said the scathing attacks were in fact a reaction
against criticism from Catholic leaders about extensive tax evasion in
Italy.
Angelino Alfano, the head of Berlusconi's ruling centre-right
People of Freedom party, has also defended the Church saying "trying to
penalise the Church is like harming the people who have the least
defence."
The Vatican says the criticism is "disinformation" and has
cautioned against confusing the assets of the Italian Catholic Church
and the property of the Vatican, which is a sovereign state separate
from Italy.
"Religious orders could claim that the exemptions allow them to
carry out charity activities," commented Bruno Bartoloni, a Vatican
expert.
But he added that eventually "the whole system has to be cleared
up and the Church should show more solidarity with the tax
contributors."