Church-tax scandal: Are secular Italians paying for Berlusconi's sins?
Two-thirds of the taxes supposed to be allocated to secular good works have recently been redirected by Prime Minister Berlusconi to the Church. See also:
• ‘Voluntary’ Contributions for State Aid Projects Finish Up in Church Coffers, La Repubblica, 17 November 2009.
On their income tax forms Italians can choose to support good works by the state, rather than apportioning their “church tax” to a religion. [1] However, it’s been revealed that since September a Decree has allowed Prime Minister Berlusconi to apportion this money as he pleases. In 2009 he used this to give to Catholic churches and monasteries €10.6 million (£9.5 million) which Italian taxpayers had tried to direct to “humanitarian, voluntary work and non-religious purposes including cultural assets”. [2]
For example, €369,000 (over £332,000) of the tax money from those who ticked the “secular” box was given to the Brotherhood of Saint Mary’s Purity. Its task is to conduct the Holy Saturday part of the “Procession of Mary’s Desolation” in Gallipoli. The Brothers of Saint Mary’s Purity wear long white penitentiary robes, short yellow cloaks and peaked hoods with eyeholes, as they parade to the sound of a funeral march bearing torches, statues of the Virgin, heavy wooden crosses and even rocks. [3]
The Prime-Ministerial funding for this display of penitence comes at an interesting time. In August Berlusconi was rebuked by the editor of the Italian bishops’ daily for his dalliance with (among others) the winsome Patrizia. The Milan newspaper controlled by the Prime Minister’s brother shot back. Under the headline “Supermoralist Condemned for Harassment” it helpfully “reminded” readers of what later turned out to be slander based upon forged documents (which are claimed to have come from Vatican), [4] an ostensible 2004 judgement against the editor of the Bishops' paper for pestering a woman to leave her husband, because the Church editor was having a relationship with the man. [5] For good measure this fabrication was accompanied by an editorial titled “Why we are unmasking the moralists”. [6]
On the same day as the journalistic attack, Berlusconi decided not to join the Vatican Secretary of State at a famous annual “repentance” Mass. Berlusconi's cancellation was widely seen as done out of embarrassment for the Milan paper's report, for this had undercut his attempt to avoid censure from strict Catholics by taking part in the ceremony. [7] According to a 13th-century Papal Bull anyone who enters the cathedral of L’Aquila on August 28 is absolved of his sins
One Church source said that when Vatican officials saw the newspaper report they “went ballistic”. He added “I can't remember a darker day in relations between this government and the Church”. [8]
Since support from Catholic voters is considered crucial for any Italian government to come to power, already on August 30 Berlusconi sought to distance himself from the editorial attacking the Church editor, claiming ignorance of the whole thing, and the same day a leader in his party announced it would be the conservative coalition's task to ensure that there are “no lacerations or fractures in relations between the government and the Catholic Church.” [9] Yet, after pulling out of the “repentance” Mass, it remained unclear exactly how the Prime Minister was going to absolve his sins — until the revelations about the use of the Decree to fund the Church.
There is a long Catholic tradition of performing penance in monetary form, and it was the sale of indulgences which prompted Luther’s break with the Church. Even there, however, the money donated by the sinner was expected to be his own. Now it appears that Berlusconi and the Vatican have arranged to have the errant Prime Minister’s penance paid for by someone else — by the Italian secularists.
See the article that revealed the church-tax scandal, the latest of Graeme Hunter’s translations from La Repubblica, (17 November 2009), “‘Voluntary’ Contributions for State Aid Projects Finish Up in Church Coffers”.
Notes
1. Even before Berlusconi unilaterally redirected many people's "church tax", the system had been rigged. Although only 40 % of Italian taxpayers actually designate the Catholic Church as the recipient of their “church tax”, payments from almost 90% of them wind up in the Church coffers. Read how it works: Modifications to the Lateran Concordat (1984) : Text
2. “Italy directed 10.6m euros to churches”, The Asian Age, 17 November 2009.
http://www.asianage.com/presentation/leftnavigation/news/international/italy-directed-106m-euros-to-churches.aspx
3. “Cultural Tourism in Puglia: Easter in Gallipoli”. http://www.cultournet.it/english/easterplus.html
4. “Vatican dossier ‘used in smear of Catholic editor’”, Belfast Telegraph, 4 February 2010.
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/vatican-dossier-lsquoused-in-smear-of-catholic-editorrsquo-14665649.html
“Vatican intrigue hits new level with leak denial”, Associated Press, 9 February 2010.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35314296/ns/world_news-europe/
Italian media accused of insulting Pope, Vatican, Reuters, 11 February 2010.
http://www.nationalpost.com/todays-paper/story.html?id=2550225
5. Frances D'Emilio, “Berlusconi Allies Work to Patch up Church Ties”, Associated Press, 30 August 2009. http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=8447789
6. “Berlusconi paper vs Church editor”, ANSA, 28 August 2009. http://dailybabel.com/2009/08/28/ansa-berlusconi-paper-vs-vatican-editor/
7. D'Emilio, ibid.
8. Philip Pullella, “Berlusconi-Church relations sour over newspaper report”, Reuters, 28 August 2009. http://www.canada.com/news/Berlusconi+Church+relations+sour+over+newspaper+report/1939533/story.html
9. Frances D'Emilio, ibid.
