Overview

• Cardinal Zuppi expressed disappointment at a Bologna conference, saying the government’s one-sided change violates the original 1985 agreement and creates unequal treatment for religious beneficiaries.
• Palazzo Chigi sources counter that the Conte II government first reformed the allocation rules in 2019 and the Meloni administration merely added a sixth purpose in 2023 to support drug addiction recovery.
• Church leaders caution that any diversion of 8 per mille contributions could force cuts to programs combating poverty, funding schools and responding to emergencies in Italy and abroad.
• Former prime minister Matteo Renzi and other opposition figures slammed the reform as an infringement of Concordat rights, accusing the government of politicizing tax allocations over the CEI’s stance on migration.
• The CEI has called for negotiations on any further modifications, insisting changes to funding purposes require mutual agreement to protect its charitable mission.