Israel Will Not Seize Catholic Church Assets
Israel will not seize funds of Catholic institutions in the country, as Italian and Catholic media had reported.
A statement Tuesday by the Israeli Embassy to the Holy See said that “the seizure of funds from the Ministry of Education destined for some educational institutions of the Catholic Church in Israel will not be made, and that the situation remains unchanged.”
Reports that Israel would seize assets of some Catholic institutions to pressure the Vatican to pay disputed taxes were published Monday by Catholic and Italian media.
Italian media Tuesday quoted Israeli sources as saying the reports were the result of “a technical error” and a “misunderstanding.”
A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism so that we can be prepared for whatever news 2025 brings.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
