(ANSA) - The Roman Catholic Church will not interfere in the affairs of the Italian State, Pope Benedict XVI said Monday.
He also stressed the Vatican was not looking for special benefits.
In a message to parliament, Benedict said: "The Church in Italy and every other country does not intend to claim any privilege but rather to fulfill its mission in legitimate respect for the secular nature of the State."
The pope's message on the third anniversary of his predecessor John Paul II's historic visit to the House came amid polemics over the Church's allegedly privileged position in Italy.
A new budget provision allows the Church not to pay property tax on its extensive real estate, effectively giving tax breaks to all Church activities, even commercial ones.
Some small and strongly secular parties such as the Socialists and the Radicals vainly fought the budget amendment, which was passed by a solid cross-party majority. In recent years politicians on both sides of parliament have been accused of pandering to the Church's conservative positions in the hope of winning votes in what is still a deeply Catholic country.
Politicians of most stripes have also been criticised for their acceptance of alleged Vatican interference in State policies. Italy's small humanist and atheist lobbies have protested against what they see as opportunistic endorsements of the Church's teachings on family values and other areas where theology clashes with secular humanism, such as stem-cell research.
The protests became most vocal last summer when the Church successfully urged Italian voters to boycott areferendum aimed at easing the country's strict assistedfertility laws.
At the time, the Vatican said it was duty-bound to support pro-life policies and family values, rejecting the notion that this would sometimes mean treading into politics.
Conservative politicians backed the Church's stance and were joined by centrist, Catholic parties in the centre-left opposition alliance.
In his message to the House Monday, Benedict also urged the Church and State to work together more closely on a number of issues including "the protection of the human person" - codeword for pro-life policies.
The Church has criticised abortion but has ended its calls for the repeal of Italy's abortion laws.
Even the most conservative politicians have said Italy's abortion law is safe despite the defeat of the assisted-fertility referendum. But conservatives have joined the Church in railing against the so-called 'abortion pill'.
Other Church-State rows in which the majority of politicians have been charged with lining up with the Vatican have included a wrangle over crucifixes in State buildings and the allegedly disportionate take of tax gifts the Church gets.
On their income tax forms, Italians can donate 0.08% of their taxable income to the State or various religions. Secular politicians are upset because the vast bulk not specifically assigned to the State or other religions goes to the Catholic Church.
The Church gets by far the most of the tax gifts in the first place.
It is therefore the major beneficiary when the remaining cash is doled out in proportion to the amount each receives from the taxpayers' preferences.
