Catholic schools' public financing in Italy: an expected farce

This morning I have read a new about a declaration of the bishop Bruno Stenco, director of the national office of the italian bishops' conference for education, school and university, on a possible mobilization within the italian catholic schools against the cuts included in the State Budget Law to be extended also to catholic schools. Bruno Stenco has also declared that italian catholic schools are expecting more financial support instead of cuts. Maybe did the honeymoon between catholic church and the italian government arrive to an end?

Seriously? Could it be possible?

This modest reaction of a secondary figure of the italian bishops' conference has immediately provoked a general panic within the italian government which has been forced to soon repair the offence caused to Vatican. The vice-minister for economy Giuseppe Vegas has soon declared that funds to catholic schools "are immediately restored". Vegas has also said that "there is an amendment to restore the original funding levels, that is 120 million Euros. Catholic schools have no reason to be worried".

If I think about these recent months of intense protests and mobilization activities made within the italian public education, research and university systems against the relevant cuts in public investments towards these strategic sectors (which I always highlighted in this blog) which have not provoked any sign of rethinking in italian government, this quick obeisance of italian politicians to catholic church (at the moment I have not noticed any form of reaction even in the opposition parties yet) offend us and insult us.

We all should deeply reflect on the squalor and shabbines of the entire italian political class...

What a shame...