The Peter’s Pence class action lawsuit against the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) was originally filed in January 2020. The lawsuit alleges that USCCB routinely asks Catholics throughout the country to donate money to the annual Peter’s Pence collection to “help victims of war, oppression, natural disaster, or disease,” but the money actually … Read more
After loosing its request to have the Peter’s Pence case dismissed by the DC Court of Appeals in April 2025, the USCCB filed a request to have the case reheard en banc. The term “en banc” is a French phrase meaning “on the bench.” In the United States court system, it describes a session where … Read more
Over the last four years, the collection has shown signs of revenue growth, allowing the Vatican to use increasingly large sums of money to fill the gaps in the Roman Curia’s budget. Where do the Peter’s Pence funds come from? How are they spent? The Pillar looks at the numbers. Continue reading
On April 25, 2025, the Washington DC Court of Appeals rejected the USCCB’s bid to dismiss the Peter’s Pence lawsuit (see opinion and judgement documents). Related: DC Court of Appeals Oral Arguments
These are the oral arguments made before the Washington DC Court of Appeals on January 10, 2025 in the Peter’s Pence class action lawsuit. The attorney representing the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is Emmet Flood of the firm Williams and Connolly. The USCCB is arguing that this case must be dismissed even … Read more
A Vatican tribunal has sentenced Cardinal Angelo Becciu, the former second highest official in the Secretariat of State, to five and a half years in prison, in what is a groundbreaking ruling, which presents many questions for the future. On December 16, the Vatican tribunal issued its sentence against Becciu and his fellow nine defendants, … Read more
Every year, Catholics send money to the Pope to be used for charitable purposes; this is known as Peter’s Pence. A 2019 investigation by Corriere Della Sera revealed that the majority of the money isn’t actually used for its intended purpose and is instead used for other investments, such as administrative loopholes and various other … Read more
