Rome, Italy, Sep 5, 2007 / 08:18 am
Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the outspoken Vatican Secretary of State, addressed the political figures who have questioned the tax advantages received by the Catholic Church.
Politicians have argued that Catholic institutions in Italy are receiving an exorbitant amount of tax breaks. However, the Church maintains that its work to assist society at all levels would be compromised if it was forced to pay full taxes.
According to ANSA, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone said “critics were stoking ‘cheap’ polemics and ‘falsifying’ reality by presenting the tax breaks as undeserved and unjustifiable privileges.”
"If Catholic organizations stopped work, many tens of millions of people throughout the world would be deprived of the only support they can count on every day," he said.