Pontificate of Pope Francis - 2018

2018 with Pope Francis: Why some conservatives see Pope Francis as a threat: (Source: www.CNN.com) 1. He is firmly among the most liberal, global, and politically relevant Holy Fathers in modern history. 2. He rails against the evils of capitalist greed and climate change. 3. In a dig at Donald Trump, he said that those who build walls to keep out immigrants are “not Christian,” and even flew Muslim Syrian refugees to safety on his papal plane. 4. When asked about the existence of gay priests he shrugged, “who am I to judge?” 5. He opened discussions about allowing married priests in the Amazon. 6. He permitted divorced and remarried Catholics to take Communion. 7. He said that God redeems “even the atheists.” And then a liberal pope comes along … it’s really a new thing for Catholics. While 84% of American Catholics have a “favorable” view and 9 in 10 find Pope Francis “compassionate” and “humble,” a growing number of conservatives in the US and Europe worry that he may be a borderline heretic, a naive South American socialist, or both. It has been customary during the current pontificate to issue a set of stamps depicting Pope Francis for each year as pope. The 2018 set contains stamps of four different values with photographs of Pope Francis during liturgical ceremonies. The €0,95 stamp shows Pope Francis on Palm Sunday 2017 and the €1,00 value is a photograph of Francis holding his pastoral staff during the June 2017 consistory when he created five new cardinals. Pope Francis' visit to the Parish of Saint Maria Josefa of the Heart of Jesus in Castelverde (Roma) is shown on the €2,30 stamp. while the €3,00 value is a photograph of Francis at the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple in 2017. The values cover zonal rates to Italy (€0,95) to Europe and the Mediterranean Basic (€1,00) to Africa, Asia, and the Americas (€2,30), and to Oceania (€3,00). UFN also issued 80,000 miniature sheets containing one of each of the four values. Technical Details: Scott Catalogue - 1674 - 1677a Date Issued - 06 February 2018 Face Value - €0,95, €1,00, €2,30, €3,00 Perforations - 13x13.25 Printing Process - Offset Printer - Cartor (France) Max Printed - 200,000

(Source - Vatican Notes: Volume: 66 Issue: 376 Page: 4-7 www.CNN.com)