Peter's penny
The Peterspfennig (Latin: Denarius Sancti Petri ) is a collection of money that is considered an expression of the solidarity of the faithful with the Pope . The financial donation is intended to support the Pope's apostolic and charitable work.
“The Peterspfennig is the most significant expression of the participation of all believers in the charitable initiatives of the Bishop of Rome for the universal Church. This gesture has not only a practical but also a clear symbolic value as a sign of unity with the Pope and concern for the needs of the brothers and sisters, and therefore your service has a primarily ecclesiastical value. "
At the end of the 8th century, the Anglo-Saxons , who were then newly converted to Christianity , decided to contribute to the accomplishment of the tasks of the Holy See through an annual obolus . This custom of the Denarius Sancti Petri subsequently spread to other European countries. At times, the Peterspfennig was also donated for the construction of St. Peter's Basilica . Pope Pius IX laid down a uniform regulation for the payment of St. Peter's penny in the encyclical Saepe Venerabilis in 1871 . The collection on June 29th, the solemn festival of Apostles Peter and Paul , or on the Sunday before or after, made available to the Holy See as Peterspfennig. The Peterspfennig can also be paid via the Vatican website.
In November 2019 it became known that between 100 million and 150 million euros from the Peterspfennig collection had been misappropriated for a real estate deal in London. In June 2020, as part of the investigations that were subsequently initiated, the first arrest for fraud, embezzlement, money laundering and extortion took place.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Address of Pope Benedict XVI. at the audience for the Circolo San Pietro on February 25, 2006
- ↑ [1] In: Manager Magazin , November 1, 2019, accessed on November 28, 2019
- ↑ [2] in: General-Anzeiger , Bonn, November 27, 2019, accessed on November 28, 2019
- ↑ Embezzlement, Serious Fraud, and Money Laundering: Arrest in Vatican Financial Scandal In: Catholic News Agency on June 6, 2020 (accessed June 8, 2020)
- ↑ Financial scandal in the Vatican: speculating with the Peterspfennig in: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , June 8, 2020 (accessed June 8, 2020)