Surprise!
Vatican Post Office Releases New Stamp

Having received the May 21st issues from the Vatican Post Office in record delivery time on June 11th, it was thought that there would not be any more stamps released until late summer or early fall. However, the Vatican Post Office surprised us with a new release on Saturday, June 15. The new stamp is a joint release from the Vatican Post Office, along with Italy, the Republic of San Marino and the Sovereign Order of Malta. The stamps are a "grateful celebration" of the 160th anniversary of the Italian Red Cross which was founded on June 15th, 1864. 160th Anniversary of the Founding of the Italian Red Cross Issued June 15th, 2024 Why the celebration? The origins of the Red Cross can be traced back to the battle of Solferino, which took place in the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia (now in Lombardy, Italy), in June of 1859. It was the allied French army, led by Napoleon III, against a combined Piedmont-Sardinian army, under the command of Victor Emmanuel II and the Austrian army, led by Emperor Franz Joseph I. It had about 300,000 soldiers fighting for what would significantly contribute toward the unification of Italy. However, the huge suffering of wounded soldiers left on the battlefield moved the Swiss humanitarian Jean-Henri Dunant to advocate for the establishment of the Geneva Conventions and the creation of the International Red Cross. Following the battle of Solferino, various national Red Cross societies were created, including the Italian Red Cross, which was founded in Milan on June 15th 1864 by Dr. Cesare Castiglioni under the name “Committee of the Italian Association for Relief to the Wounded and Sick in War.” The Italian Red Cross has continued to be a part of the world’s largest humanitarian network. Now, the Vatican Post Office, along with the postal services of three other countries, celebrates the 160th anniversary of the founding of the Italian Red Cross by releasing this stamp. The stamp was issued as a mini-sheet of four stamps; there is also a nice first-day postmark. Both the stamp and the postmark contain the Red Cross motto “Ovunque per chiunque” ("Everywhere for everyone"). 160th Italian Red Cross Anniversary First-Day Postmark 160th Italian Red Cross Anniversary Mini-Sheet References Francobollo e annullo postale speciale die emissionis 160° anniversario della fondazione della Croce Rossa Italiana, Città del Vaticano, 15 giugno 2024, Comunicato 27/2024 (Vatican Postal Announcement 05794/2024) Wikipedia, Battle of Solferino Encyclopedia Britannica, Battle of Solferino Order of Malta Poste Magistrali, A postage stamp for the Italian Red Cross: 160 years of history