Maybe I’ve just never paid much attention to the announcements about Peter’s Pence. But I always thought that Peter Pence was exclusively for charitable works and things of that nature as directed by the Vatican/Holy Father - not to help cover the Vatican operating budget for the year.
Maybe I’ve just never paid much attention to the announcements about Peter’s Pence. But I always thought that Peter Pence was exclusively for charitable works and things of that nature as directed by the Vatican/Holy Father - not to help cover the Vatican operating budget for the year.
It's been presented like that (strong emphasis on charitable works, sounds basically like a CRS fundraiser) at every American parish I've been at - I assume intentionally; most non profits find it very, very hard to get donors willing to cover administrative costs. People want to pay for food and books for a school student, not electricity and printer ink for HR staff at the head office - likely the Vatican has the same difficulty.
I understand the reality of administrative costs, but the way Peter's Pence is being sold to parishioners amounts to a gigantic lie. It's fundamentally dishonest, when 90% of the money drains into the black hole of the Curia!
You're not wrong - that's how it's sold each year. And it does in fact sound like it's turned into more of a fund to help keep the Vatican afloat rather than being used to help feed the hungry, clothe the naked, etc. I guess you could make an argument that funding the Vatican in general does indirectly contribute towards those ends, but that doesn't have the same ring to it as the current feel good campaign that they currently use to advertise the collection.
Maybe I’ve just never paid much attention to the announcements about Peter’s Pence. But I always thought that Peter Pence was exclusively for charitable works and things of that nature as directed by the Vatican/Holy Father - not to help cover the Vatican operating budget for the year.
It's been presented like that (strong emphasis on charitable works, sounds basically like a CRS fundraiser) at every American parish I've been at - I assume intentionally; most non profits find it very, very hard to get donors willing to cover administrative costs. People want to pay for food and books for a school student, not electricity and printer ink for HR staff at the head office - likely the Vatican has the same difficulty.
I understand the reality of administrative costs, but the way Peter's Pence is being sold to parishioners amounts to a gigantic lie. It's fundamentally dishonest, when 90% of the money drains into the black hole of the Curia!
A thousand hearts to your post, Garth! It's a scam of the first order.
Is this where I feel a wry sense of justification for not giving to Peter's Pence?
You're not wrong - that's how it's sold each year. And it does in fact sound like it's turned into more of a fund to help keep the Vatican afloat rather than being used to help feed the hungry, clothe the naked, etc. I guess you could make an argument that funding the Vatican in general does indirectly contribute towards those ends, but that doesn't have the same ring to it as the current feel good campaign that they currently use to advertise the collection.