FROM HEAVEN TOO EARTH
I WROTE ON 17th AUGUST, 2011:
ECONOMIC CRISIS. LET THE VATICAN PAY
IN A TIME OF DREADFUL AND DRAMATIC ECONOMIC CRISIS, CURRENTLY OCCURRING - ALSO, AND PERHAPS ABOVE ALL, IN ITALY ? I AGREE WITH THE ANALYSIS OF MARIO STADERINI PUBLISHED TODAY ON THE NEWSPAPER ?IL FATTO QUOTIDIANO? THAT I WOULD LIKE TO BRING TO YOUR ATTENTION.
I DARE INTERVENE AS A DEEP BELIEVER IN CHRIST AND SPIRITUALLY PRACTICING.
IF THE VATICAN ? SO THE MAIN REPRESENTATIVES OF THE CATHOLIC RELIGION, UP TO THE POPE ? DO NOT GIVE, IN THIS TIME, A SIGN OF SOLIDARITY, LOVE, BROTHERHOOD TO THE NEEDY, WE WILL HAVE THE MOST OBVIOUS PROOF THAT THE VATICAN ITSELF (NOT THE CATHOLIC CHURCH BECAUSE THAT IS THE BODY OF CHRIST AND WE ARE ITS FAITHFUL ONES) IS PART OF THE ANTICHRIST'S TENTACLES, THE ONE WHO DOES NOT DESTROY ONLY SOULS, BUT ALSO PEOPLE'S BODIES.
THE ANTI-CRISIS OPERATION LAUNCHED BY BERLUSCONI'S GOVERNMENT PROVIDES THAT THOSE TO BE SACRIFICED, ONCE AGAIN, MUST BE THE ORDINARY CITIZENS, THE POOREST SEGMENTS OF THE POPULATION. WHILE NO ONE DARES TOUCHING THE INTERESTS OF THAT HUGE MONSTER WHICH IS CALLED VATICAN, THAT MAKES PROFITS ON ITALIAN TERRITORY WITHOUT PAYING A PENNY OF TAXES. IF IT IS TRUE THAT ELIMINATING THE ?EIGHT PER THOUSAND? AND SOME TAX EXEMPTIONS TO THE CATHOLIC CHURCH, THE ITALIAN STATE BUDGET COULD COUNT ON MORE THAN 3 BILLION EUROS EXTRA PER YEAR, IT IS ALSO TRUE THAT THE POOR COULD BREATH. FOR THIS I HOPE THAT OTHER VOICES JOIN ME IN A PROTEST TO CONVINCE THE GOVERNMENT TO FORCE THE STATE OF VATICAN JUST TO DO ITS DUTY.
SPIRITUALLY SPEAKING, I GET MORE AND MORE CONVINCED THAT THIS CHURCH FITS PERFECTLY WITH THE PASSAGE OF JOHN, MARK, LUKE AND MATTHEW'S BOOKS: "MY HOUSE IS A HOUSE OF PRAYER, BUT YOU HAVE MADE IT A DEN OF THIEVES".
WHAT DOES HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI THINK ABOUT IT?
READ, MEDITATE AND DEDUCE.
FAITHFULLY
G.B.
THE VATICAN AND THOSE PRIVILEGES TO BE CUT
?by Mario Staderini *
Someone thinks it, others fear it, no one says it. There is a rising public spending cuts that stands out more than ever: the privileges of the Vatican. By removing the ?8 per thousand?, and some unjustified tax exemptions, for example, the state budget could count on more than 3 billion Euros per year. Let us do some calculations and start from the eight per thousand. Each year, the CEI receives 1 billion euro of the Italian tax through a scam system made by Tremonti himself when he was a consultant to the Minister Formica. What does CEI do with this flood of money, equal to five times what the parties take all together as public funding? It uses it to pay the salary of the priests (33% of total), to build new churches (!), to support the Dioceses, to evangelize the peoples of developing countries and indoctrinate their ruling classes, to finance the various political and cultural initiatives of Bishops' Conference and the galaxy anti-abortion groups referendum, main characters of the war against the referendum on law n.40, and the rights won by Welby and Englaro.
The EIGHT PER THOUSAND should be entirely abolished because the churches will have to finance themselves ("Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and unto God what is God", Mark 12.13-17), as in liberal democracies. Anyway it would be enough halve it, saving every year 500 million euro which should not reduce some charity to the poor.
It is the same law to enforce it in case of increase in revenue and Tremonti knows it very well. In fact, the eight per thousand of CEI has grown from 200 million euro in 1990 to the current 1 billion, in practice it increased fivefold even if the salary of a priest (the original reason for public financing) is little more than doubled. Now let us talk about the tax privileges of ecclesiastical bodies. Considering only the ICI exemption from payment of their business and 50% reduction of IRES institutions that produce income, you get at least 2 billion less revenue for the state each year.
We're not talking about cutting funds to the parishes, Caritas or the speakers, but to remove those ones that the EU itself could consider illegal state aids. When the Vatican and its various ramifications grind profits with their immense property, tourism, clinics and hospitals, schools and universities, there is no reason for not paying taxes like the rest of us, mere mortals. So: at least 500 million saved through eight per thousand, two billion of ICI IRES exemptions lifted, makes in total 2.5 billion euro per year. AND YET, in a manoeuvre in which everything is cut and the spending for social services is reduced, acting against " the Vatican tax" is a taboo. The same is for festivities, the only untouchables are those religious ones while also the 1st May can be skipped. It will be said: it is the Concordat, honey. Exactly. Let us start, first of all, by fixing the economic gifts and commercial revenues. For the rest, the lay miracles, we are working on.
*Secretary of the Italian Radicals
IL FATTO QUOTIDIANO AUGUST 17th, 2011
