payable as appendant to the manors etc of the persons to whom granted". Before the Reformation, the lordship of the manor of Cheltenham had been held by the Abbess of Syon. It is plausible therefore that as both the pious payment of Peter's Pence and the secular manorial fees had once gone to the same institution, the former came over time to be regarded as part of the latter. Revived custom In 1871, Pope Pius IX formalized the practice of lay members of Church and "other persons of good will" – providing financial support directly to the Papal Treasury. In general, contributions go to the local parish or diocese, who then provide contributions to support higher level offices. Collections for Peter's Pence go directly to Rome. Pius IX approved this practice in the encyclical Saepe venerabilis, issued on 5 August 1871. The money collected is today used by the pope for philanthropic purposes. At present, this collection is taken each year on the Sunday closest to 29 June, the Solemnity of the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul in the liturgical calendar. , the United States has donated the largest amounts, giving some 28% of the total, followed by Italy, Germany, Spain, France, Ireland, Brazil and South Korea. US donations totaled $75.8 million in 2008, $82.5 million in 2009, $67.7 million in 2010 and $69.7 million in 2011. Finances In 2019, it was revealed that the charity had secretly been used by people within the Vatican to buy luxury property in London and to finance movies such as the 2019 Elton John biopic Rocketman. It has also been used to finance the budget deficit of the Holy See. As a partial justification for this, two commentators in the University of Notre Dame's Church Life Journal note the "strange situation of the Holy See with regard to its wealth." It has "global scope spiritually yet with minuscule territory." For a sovereign state with virtually no tax base and no territory, it is necessary to invest in order to meet is financial needs and goals, said Gladden Pappin and Edoardo Bueri." See also Institute for the Works of Religion References External links Peter's Pence Official Website The Holy See Homepage Peter's Pence Page Online listing of Bristol & Glos Arch. Soc. Transactions Gloucestershire Archives homepage Pope Pius IX Economic history of the Holy See Secretariat of State (Holy See) Religious taxation Alms