The Italian government on Friday removed cuts to state funding for Catholic schools from its budget after a protest from the Italian Bishops Conference (CEI).Critics claimed the executive had climbed down in the face of Vatican pressure but the government said the restoration of the funds had been planned all along.
Economy Undersecretary Giuseppe Vargas said 120 million euros of the 130-million-euro per annum cut would be restored via an amendment to the budget bill which is now going through parliament.
''They can rest assured,'' he said, referring to CEI's schools.
Earlier, CEI threatened to ''mobilise'' its schools against the cuts.
Catholic schools were set to ''mobilise across the country,'' said CEI's education chief, Msgr Bruno Stenco.
''We didn't expect any cuts from this government. On the contrary, we expected increases. Putting Catholic schools on the list of excess funding to be cut is inconceivable,'' Stenco said.
In 2000, despite opposition from those seeking to uphold a Constitutional ban on state funding for private schools, CEI obtained from a previous centre-left government an annual allocation of 530 million euros for its parish schools, which mostly cater to young children.
This is 0.1% of what the state school system gets, Stenco said, calling it a ''pittance''.
In 2004, Economy Minister Giulio Tremonti lopped off 154 million of the 530, or about 33%, for three straight years, and the upcoming budget was set to take away 130 million for another three years, Stenco said.
Up till now, he said, the Catholic Church ''has been silent and we have made up the shortfall year after year with amendments, difficulties and delays''.
He said the Church must now ''draw its conclusions'' and take action because ''without state contributions, elementary schools risk closure''.
''State subsidies barely cover staff pay,'' the CEI education chief said. He reiterated the Church's longstanding argument that Catholic schools are not strictly private because they fulfill a social function.
Opponents of the subsidies to the Church schools criticised the government for climbing down and contrasted its allegedly ''servile'' attitude with staunch resistance to this year's protests from the state sector against bigger cuts and wide-reaching reforms.
''The CEI whistles and Tremonti responds,'' said Communist Refoundation leader Paolo Ferrero.
But government party members claimed the amendment was in the works before the CEI protest.
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(Source: Ansa)