U.S. Catholics top list of contributors to Peter's Pence
Bishops’ conferences drop to second place
Imprimir Incrementar tamaño de fuente Disminuir tamaño de fuente

Vatican City, Jul 9, 2008 / 06:02 pm (CNA).- The Council of Cardinals that studies the Vatican's organizational and economic matters announced this Wednesday that the income generated worldwide by the collection known as the Peter's Pence placed U.S. Catholics way at the top of the list, distantly followed by Italy.

During 2007, the Peter's Pence reported an income of $79,837,843 U.S. dollars; most of which was used for the Pope's charitable initiatives in favor of the poorest countries or regions affected by natural disasters.

The most generous Catholic communities were the U.S. with $18.7 million dollars, followed by Italy at $8.6 million, Germany with $4 million and Spain at $2.7 million.

The Holy See also received an individual contribution from an anonymous donor for $14.3 million dollars.

The most generous bishops’ conference in support of the Holy See was that of the German Bishops, who contributed $9.3 million. The German bishops were followed by the USCCB at $8.3 million and then the Italian Bishops, who gave $5.5 million. Surprisingly, the Bishops of South Korea, where Catholics represent slightly more than 10% of the population, ranked 7th with $681,542 dollars.

Imprimir Incrementar tamaño de fuente Disminuir tamaño de fuente
Subscriber comments:
Published by: sandra
rockford il/ USA 07/13/2008 07:20 AM EST
I agree with Janet totally, the story of the widow that Jesus himself told is a perfect example that God doesn't take in account how much you give but how much it costs you. It is an ijustice to the poorer countries to say that americans are the most generous.
Rate this comment:
Published by: Janet Tabinski
London, England 07/11/2008 02:23 AM EST
What I'd be interested to know is the per capita donation for Catholics in the countries mentioned, and also some indication of how these donations compare to the cost of living/disposable income. A number of variables go into making sense of the bare figures. It's rather like the widow's mite: I imagine the average Korean's donation would be more significant than one from a rich Westerner. If you don't present this information in the light of these factors, it looks all too much like a pat on the back for the US. What would really be encouraging to read is that poorer people have been more generous, as that's the spirit of the Gospel being lived: not giving from what you have to spare, but giving more than you can spare!
Rate this comment:
ADD A COMMENT (Your e-mail will NOT be published):
NAME:
CITY/STATE/COUNTRY:
EMAIL:
COMMENT:
 
PLEASE ENTER THE SECURITY CODE DISPLAYED ABOVE:
Chars:
* Thanks for your comments. The number of messages that can be online is limited. Length should not exceed 1500 characters. CNA reserves the right to edit messages for content and tone. Comments and opinions expressed by users do not necessarily reflect the opinions or beliefs of CNA. CNA will not publish comments with abusive language, insults or links to other pages.
ADVERTISING
Place your ad here
Resources:
Columns:
News:
Documents:
Tools:
ACI Group:
ACI Prensa