An Evangelical church in Italy is fighting a government tax because it it doesn’t look “religious” enough.
Breccia di Roma claims it is being forced to pay more than A$80,000 because it is Protestant.
It meets in a former shopfront as its place of worship where the Italian Tax Agency ruled “the interior architecture is not sufficiently religious in appearance” to qualify for a religious exemption.
The Christian Post reports the agency is demanding the church pay all its allegedly accrued taxes.
“Why should the Tax Agency decide what a place of worship should look like?” asked the church’s Pastor Leonardo De Chirico.
“Our small space in the midst of Rome is the place of worship for our community. Every Sunday, we gather for service, our Bible studies are hosted there, and small communities meet in the building. Our worship doesn’t require specific architecture,” he argued.
Italy’s highest court, the Supreme Court of Cassation, has ruled in favour of the tax office.
Its decision referred to the absence of “structural interventions consistent with the characteristics related to the exercise of religious activities,” without defining what those changes should be for an Evangelical place of worship.
With no further avenues for justice in Italy, the church is taking its fight to the European Court of Human Rights.
Legal advocacy group ADF International which is representing the church argues that Italy is violating the European Convention on Human Rights, which protects the right to open and maintain places of worship.
“The right of the church to meet peacefully for worship in the manner prescribed by its Evangelical faith tradition is clearly protected by the Convention,” stated ADF legal officer Lidia Rieder.
“While the church has no obligation to justify its appearance to the government, it has explained that the modesty of its architecture is rooted in its religion. Italian authorities have no right to assess the legitimacy of the ways this church’s religious beliefs are manifested in its physical appearance when clearly this is an authentic place of worship,” she added.
Breccia di Roma purchased and restructured the building in 2015. The Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Activities and Tourism authorised the classification as a church “without any internal or external building work,” qualifying it for a tax exemption like all places of worship in Italy.
The Italian Tax Agency denied the reclassification and in court presented photographs of the Basilica of San Silvestro, the Great Synagogue of Rome and the Great Mosque of Rome, implying that the humble Breccia di Roma should look like them.
Pastor De Chirico responded: “Granted, our building does not match the Great Synagogue, a mosque, or any of the basilicas in Rome. Also, because our resources are limited, we meet in a comparatively unspectacular building. But why would a state punish us for that? Our church is not worse or less spiritual just because our architecture is different.”
He concluded that: “If we win our case in court, many other Evangelical churches, in addition to the country as a whole, would benefit — religious freedom is an essential good for everyone.”
The Gospel Coalition writes: “The challenges faced by Breccia di Roma serve as a stark reminder that even in countries with constitutional guarantees of religious freedom, the practical application of those rights can be hindered by cultural biases, bureaucratic obstacles, and unequal treatment of minority faiths. And that such threats can come from other Christians.”
Photo: ADF International
