Annual Peter's Pence collection which helps Pope support Charities can be accepted via internet

(20 June 2006) : The Pope's Charity Day - Peter’s Pence - will be observed on the solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul on June 29^th -- or another close date chosen by local bishops. On this day every Catholic is invited to collaborate in the Pope’s aid to the poorest. Dioceses worldwide will take up the Peter's Pence collection during the Masses that day. The funds will be allocated to Pope Benedict XVI's works of charity. Recently, the Vatican's Web page has set up a special "Peter's Pence" section in various languages, which offers the possibility to contact the Peter's Pence Office directly via internet. The same section makes it possible to send donations with a credit card. Personal details may be sent by fax. The faithful also may send their donations directly to Pope Benedict XVI, whose postal address is: His Holiness

Pope Benedict XVI

00120 Vatican City
The origin of Peter's Pence dates back to the eighth century, when the Anglo-Saxons converted to Christianity and, as a sign of union with the Bishop of Rome, decided to send a regular contribution to the Holy Father. The custom soon spread thought Europe that was regulated by Pope Pius IX in the 1871 encyclical “Saepe Venerabilis.” According to the latest available data, in 2004 Peter's Pence collected $51.7 million, which was allocated to ecclesial communities of the Third World, and to populations scourged by wars or natural disasters.