The bitter controversy aroused in Italy because of the tax privileges enjoyed by the Vatican (recognised as a foreign country) and the Catholic Church (represented by its different religious institutions) shows, one more time, how easy it is to manipulate an uninformed public opinion, already frustrated by an economic crisis that seems to be endless.
The futility of such a debate is also proved by the fact that it has been originated by a facebook group called “Vaticano pagaci tu la manovra finanziaria” (Vatican, pay the fiscal plan!). The 139’944 members of the group believe that in Italy the Church is the principle “legally authorised” fiscal dodger. It is important to notice that on facebook there also exist 4 groups condemning the “real” fiscal dodgers registering less than one hundred members. This situation can be explained only with reference to a strong, radical anticlericalism. It may be useful to remind that the Vatican already paid in 1890 a considerable contribution to the new-born Italian State, through the well known Legge Crispi (No. 6972). The law, indeed, established the expropriation of a number of properties owned by the Church, most of them were used for providing support to poor people. Such properties were then given to lay charity foundations created throughout the country and no member of the clergy was allowed be part of these organisations. How have these buildings actually been used? It is important to underline that today, as well as in the past, the Church still uses many if its buildings for charitable purposes and that it enjoys the same tax privileges enjoyed by other public and private institutions operating in this sector. The truth is that in Italy the welfare system for the poorest is managed mainly by private organisations (rather than by the State), with the fundamental contribution of the Italian Church that provides goods and services for the poor (soup kitchens, night shelters, etc.), the needy (Italian courses, listening centres), sick people and the elderly (hospital transport services, home assistance). An example is represented by the Caritas Italiana, founded in 1971 by Pope Paul VI, whose 220 centres are located all over the country. Moreover, in its charitable works, the Church has always been forward-looking. Suffice to say that it has involved voluntary people in its activities (before charity became something “cool”) or think, for example, about what the Society of Jesus did when, in 1980, its members created a reception service for people requesting asylum.
Maybe many wish the Church enjoyed only one privilege, the so called “privilege of poverty”, expressly asked by Saint Clare to Pope Gregory XI for her order. However, even if it is not so, the Church can give the community, in different ways, what it owns and enjoys, with the aim of promoting solidarity initiatives.
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