Several graffiti critical of the Pope and the Church have appeared on the church of La Sapienza University in Rome.
The messages are said to have been sprayed on the church door by left-wing demonstrators during a rally against the Italian government at the weekend, reported the Roman edition of the "Corriere della Sera " on Monday.
The graffiti insults Pope Francis, calls for the Church to withdraw from public life and is directed against the Holy Year 2025.
Numerous construction works are currently taking place in Rome for the Holy Year, for which the Vatican is expecting around 32 million pilgrims.
In the neighbourhood around Sapienza University, the university buildings have been repeatedly graffitied for several months.
Most of the messages are critical of Israel and support Palestine.
According to the newspaper report, the university has so far spent more than 60,000 euros on removing the graffiti, but there is always more.
The state university La Sapienza was founded in 1303 and is one of the largest universities in Europe with over 100,000 students.
Its 1930s campus is located in the east of the Italian capital, close to Termini railway station.