Steve Bannon’s Attempt at Exporting Firebrand Populism to Europe is Failing

Along with Steve Bannon, the institute has been trying to set up a two-track program: an "academy for the Judeo-Christian West" with a Bannon-designed curriculum and the Cardinal Martino Academy, which will promote Catholic social teachings, said Benjamin Harnwell, a former British Conservative party activist who leads the institute and works with the former Trump aide.

Harnwell told Reuters he has recently had to delay his plans to further develop the institute after Italian authorities tried to evict him from the monastery.

In October, Italy's Culture Ministry revoked the institute's permission to use the monastery, saying Harnwell's organization did not meet the requirements to manage it and had lied when applying to use the building.

The Culture Ministry press office said Harnwell's organization had not managed a cultural site for at least five years, a condition for those applying to use the building.

In making its application, the institute said that it had operated an abbey in central Italy since 2015.

However state television RAI said in a documentary that the abbey was an inaccessible ruin closed to the public.

Read also: Italexit Political Party is Italy’s Newest Hope of Leaving the EU

In announcing its intention to revoke the permission, the ministry also cited violations of various contractual obligations including a failure to pay concession fees and do maintenance work.

Harnwell's institute appealed to a local administrative court, which blocked the eviction order, effectively allowing the organization to keep managing the monastery.

A ministry spokesman said it has now asked the State Council, Italy's top administrative court, to review the local court decision.

In a separate action, Italy's Court of Auditors said the institute did not pay rent of around €200,000 ($236,340) for 2018 and 2019.

Harnwell did not directly address this accusation in responding to questions from Reuters but said Italian authorities were trying to undermine the institute because of politics.

In text message exchanges with Reuters, Harnwell said the institute "never participated fraudulently in the tender as alleged", and argued that "the Ministry for Culture annulled its lease out of political considerations."

He confirmed Italian media reports that prosecutors in Rome are also conducting an ongoing probe of the institute.

Harnwell argued that the "criminal court is proceeding with its own case to discuss precisely the same material that we've just been cleared of by the administrative court."