At the Course for Newly Appointed Bishops, practical tools for missionary communion with the Successor of Peter were presented

In brief

Newly appointed bishops attending formation courses in Rome received information on resources and initiatives designed to help them support the mission of the universal Church and maintain communion with the Pope. The session, held on September 8 at the Pontifical Urbaniana University, brought together participants from courses organized by the Dicastery for Evangelization and the Dicastery for Bishops.

Archbishop Filippo Iannone, prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, spoke about the history of Peter’s Pence, which he described as a voluntary offering made by the faithful directly to the Pope. He noted that the name refers to the small gift of the widow in the Gospel, representing a heartfelt act of generosity. Archbishop Iannone explained that the practice was officially established in the seventh century as the Denarius Sancti Petri and functioned as a regular tax tribute during the Middle Ages before ending with the Protestant Reformation. Pope Pius IX later revived the practice.