Peter's Pence
Peter's Pence is the practice of lay members of the
Roman Catholic Church providing financial support to the
Holy See. While the regular
tithe goes to the local parish or diocese, the Peter's Pence goes directly to Rome. The practice originated in the
eighth century A.D. when
Anglo-Saxons decided to send a regular annual sum to the
Pope in
Rome.
The event by which this payment was enacted is as follows:
Ethelbert, king of the
east angles, having reigned single some time, thought fit to take a wife; for this purpose he came to the court of
Offa, king of
Mercia, to desire his daughter in marriage.
Queenrid, consort of Offa, a cruel, ambitious, and blood-thirsty woman, who envied the retinue and splendour of the unsuspicious king, resolved in some manner to have him murdered, before he left their court, hoping by that to gain his immense riches; for this purpose she, with her malicious and fascinating arts, overcame the king–her husband, which she most cunningly effected, and, under deep disguises, laid open to him her portentous design; a villain was therefore hired, named
Gimberd, who was to murder the innocent prince.
The manner in which the heinous crime was effected was as cowardly as it was fatal: under the chair of state in which Ethelbert sat, a deep pit was dug; at the bottom of it was placed the murderer; the unfortunate king was then let through a trap-door into the pit; his fear overcame him so much, that he did not attempt resistance. Three months after this, Queenrid died, when circumstances convinced Offa of the innocence of Ethelbert; he therefore, to appease his guilt, built St. Alban's monastery, gave one-tenth part of his goods to the poor, and went in penance to Rome–where he gave to the Pope a penny for every house in his dominions[
1].
In Anglo-Saxon England, the
tax was called the
Rome shot or
Romescot. Later, the term "Peter's Pence" came to be used for the penny paid to Rome. This custom of donation, called the
Denarius Sancti Petri, or "Alms of
Saint Peter", then spread throughout
Europe.
At present this collection is taken each year on the Sunday closest to
June 29, the
Solemnity of both
Saint Peter and
Saint Paul, according to the Roman Church.
*
Church tax*
Vatican Bank* Peter's Pence on The Vatican City Homepage (September 12, 2003): [
2]
*
The Vatican City Homepage*
Peter's Pence
