Pontiff commends contribution to papal charity fund

(Feb. 25, 2006) – The faithful’s participation in the Pope’s charitable works is not only proof of their communion with the universal church but also demonstrates their love for their brothers and sisters in need. This remark of Pope Benedict XVI came in a speech to Rome’s 'Circolo San Pietro' association that on Saturday made a contribution to the Pope’s charity fund called 'Peter’s Pence'.
'Peter’s Pence' is the name given to the financial support offered by the faithful to the Holy Father as a sign of their sharing in the concern of the Successor of Peter for the many different needs of the Universal Church and relief to those most in need.
Speaking in Italian, Pope Benedict said that contributing to ‘Peter’s Pence’ not only has a practical value, but is also highly symbolic of the communion with the Pope and the needs of the faithful. “That is why, your service has an exquisitely ecclesial value,” the Pope told members of “Circolo San Pietro.’ The Pope recalled his first encyclical, “Deus Caritas Est”, or ‘God is Love’, published last month, and said that “the principal motive for action must always be the love of Christ.” “More than a simple activity, charity implies the gift of self,” the Pope said, and that “this gift must be humble, devoid of every superiority” whose strength comes from prayer as shown by the saints.
‘Circolo San Pietro’ was founded in 1869 by a group of young lay Catholics of Rome to help the needy and the sick. Among its numerous initiatives are running soup kitchens that provide 150,000 free meals a year to the poor and immigrants, family homes for young girls in need and homes for the terminally ill. Every year they collect money from Rome diocese for the Pope’s ‘Peter’s Pence’ charity fund.