[wideawake]

Background fact: Italy has had a completely new and almost completely secular constitution since 1929, so this is not a medieval law - a medieval law would be unenforceable. The only logical conclusion is that the Diocese owns this land and that the villagers have been living on it for free, or for small in-kind payments.

Now those who have been living on someone else's property for generations are mad that they are being asked to give something back and to repair the church that gave their ancestors a cheap and comfortable place to live.

Even more hilarious is that the council, which has been extracting property taxes from the Church all along, is now enraged that one of the private entities it has been taxing is now charging rent.

[ThomasMore]

The only logical conclusion is that the Diocese owns this land and that the villagers have been living on it for free, or for small in-kind payments.

Is that really the case? Nothing here intimates that. And the bishop mentions that this was "originally and freely contracted". I assume by past generations.