The annual collection for the Pope's charitable activities brought in nearly $80 million (over €50 million) in 2007, down some $20 million from the previous year.The Council of Cardinals for the Study of Organizational and Economic Questions of the Apostolic See reported the result after meeting last Thursday and Friday in the Vatican.
The Peter's Pence collection is made up of the totality of donations destined to assist the Pope in his charitable apostolic mission.
According to the communiqué, in 2007, donations amounted to $79,837,843. In 2006, it brought in $101,900,192.
The Holy Father has allocated the Peter's Pence collection to charitable works for peoples in several countries of the world hit by natural disasters, to the support of numerous initiatives of ecclesial communities of the Third World, and to help the poorest local Churches, the communiqué reported.
The report noted that the United States was the biggest donor, giving some 28% of the total. It was followed by Italy, Germany, Spain, France, Ireland, Brazil and Korea.
The Vatican added, "In addition, the Holy See received a donation amounting to $14,309,400 from a donor who wished to remain anonymous."
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