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EVENT: World Youth Day is an international gathering of Catholic young people (typically ages 16-30) from around the world held approximately every 2-3 years in varying host countries. It began with Pope St. John Paul II in 1984 as an outreach to the youth of the world and an invitation to an encounter with the Pope and other young people. The first World Youth Day was held in Rome, Italy in 1986. World Youth Day 2023 Catholic festival was held in Lisbon, Portugal, and was originally scheduled to be held from 2–7 August 2022. The Holy See announced on April 20, 2020, that it will be postponed until August 2023 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and rescheduled for 1–6 August 2023. STAMP ISSUED AND WITHDRAWN: The original €3,10 stamp, issued on 16 May 2023 to celebrate the 35th World Youth Day in Lisbon, Portugal was withdrawn from sale on 18 May 2023 due to the perceived controversy surrounding the image on the stamp. The Lisbon Monument built in 1960 for the 500th anniversary of the death of the Portuguese explorer Henry the Navigator appears on the stamp. The image represents Pope Francis taking the place of Henry the Navigator at the prow of a boat, guiding young people into the future. The aim is to emphasize the importance of following a path of discernment, with readiness, but never anxious. The Governorate of the Vatican City State withdrew the stamp after the design drew negative comments because it “recalls a colonial past very distant from Pope Francis’ message of universal fraternity,” according to Vatican News. The design, according to detractors, uncomfortably resembled propaganda used by the António Salazar dictatorship (1932 - 1968), under whose rule the monument was constructed. The monument was built at a time when the dictatorship sought to strengthen nationalist sentiment and support Portugal’s colonial expansion in Africa. The stamp was deemed "in bad taste" by Portuguese Bishop Carlos Moreira Azevedo. MORE DATA REGARDING WITHDRAWN STAMP: Word on the street says that less than 2,000 of these stamps were actually sold by the Vatican post office. We have been informed that officially 1,630 stamps were purchased mostly by a dealer from Milano and patrons who purchased the stamps for postal use. The exact number sold may never be known. A number of single stamps of the issue were offered on Ebay and Hipstamp websites during June 2023 at prices ranging from €400 to €840 depending on margins attached with the stamp. That is 129 to 271 times the stamp's face value of €3,10. REPLACEMENT STAMP: The Vatican announced that a replacement stamp for the 16th World Youth Day 2023 was forthcoming. Technical Details: Scott Catalogue - Date Issued - 14 November 2024 Face Value - €1.25 |
| (Source - Vatican Notes: Volume: 70 Issue: 397 Page: 4-7) |
