Holy Year Philately:
Part 2

Since the establishment of the Vatican City State in 1929, eight Holy Years have taken place. Yesterday we looked at the philately tied to the first four Holy Years: 1933, 1950, 1966 and 1975. Today we will conclude our review of Vatican City Holy Year philately by reviewing the Holy Years or Jubilee Years of 1983, 2000, 2016 and the upcoming Jubilee of 2025. Today’s celebrations include: The Special Holy Year of Redemption of 1983, which commemorated the 1950th anniversary of Christ’s death and resurrection Holy Year of 2000 Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy (2016) Jubilee Year of 2025 Holy Year of Redemption Scott 721-724 (1983) Special Holy Year of 1983. Pope John Paul II promulgated the Holy Year of 1983 to celebrate the 1950th anniversary of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The four stamps issued by Vatican City for the Holy Year show aspects of “Redemption”, which was the theme for the Holy Year. The images on the stamps are taken from works by Giovanni Hajnal, show the crucified Christ (300 L), Christ the Redeemer (350 L), the pope opening his arms to the people of the world (400 L), and the Holy Spirit, as a Dove, passing through the Holy Door (3000 L). Towards Holy Year 2000 Scott 996, 1015, 1052, 1081, 1113 (1995-1999) Popes of the Holy Years Scott 1065, 1095, 11145, 1149 (1998-2000) Opening of the Holy Door for Holy Year 2000 Scott 1128, 1130, 1135 (1999) Holy Year 2000: Roman Basilicas Scott 1137-1140 (2000) Holy Year of 2000. The past stamp issues for Holy Years contained anywhere from four to eleven stamps. For the Holy Year of 2000, the Vatican Post Office embarked on an ambitious multi-year program of stamp releases, resulting in four stamp sets totaling over 50 stamps (as well as two souvenir sheets). Space does not permit the inclusion of all the stamps in this email, so representative stamps are shown above. The four sets were: Towards Holy Year 2000—a five-year continuum of sets, consisting of a total of 20 stamps documenting the events in the life of Jesus Christ. Popes of the Holy Years—starting in 1998, and running through the year 2000, a total of 25 stamp-and-label combinations depicted each Holy Year pope from Pope Boniface VIII in 1300 to Pope John Paul II in 2000. The set was capped with a souvenir sheet picturing Pope John Paul II. Opening the Holy Door for the Holy Year 2000—this set consisted of eight stamps, each depicting two panels of the Holy Door at Saint Peter’s Basilica. In addition, a souvenir sheet was issued containing the eight stamps se-tenant to show the intact Holy Door. Holy Year 2000: Roman Basilicas—the last set for the year included four stamps showing the four major Roman Basilicas: Saint Peter’s, Saint John Lateran, Saint Mary Major and Saint Paul Outside the Walls. Jubilee Year of Mercy: 2016 Scott 1615-1616, 1624-1625, 1632-1633, 1637-1638 (2016) Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy (2016). Pope Francis convoked the Special Jubilee Year of 2016, focused on the theme of “Mercy”. During the course of the Jubilee Year, Vatican City issued seven stamps focused on the Corporal Works of Mercy, as well as one stamp to commemorate the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. The 2016 annual postal card set also featured the Jubilee Year of Mercy. Pilgrimage Around the World on the Way to Jubilee 2025: Oceania, Scott 1782 (2021) Jubilee Year of 2025. Pope Francis will open the Jubilee Year of 2025 by opening the Holy Door at Saint Peter’s Basilica on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2024. It will begin a year focused on the theme of “Hope”. Over the last four years, the Vatican City Post Office has released five souvenir sheets under the title “Pilgrimage Around the World on the Way to Jubilee 2025”, with the sheets featuring the continents of the world (Oceania, Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Europe). The designs for the souvenir sheets were similar in format, as shown above. Given the abundance of stamps and materials released for recent Holy Years, one wonders if more Jubilee 2025 stamps will be released during the Jubilee Year. As a note, the Christmas stamps for 2024 bore the logo for the Jubilee Year—perhaps some of the stamps issued in 2025 will be similarly emblazoned. REFERENCES: Wikipedia.com, Jubilee in the Catholic Church Brittanica.com, Year of Jubilee James C. Hamilton, Vatican Notes,Vatican City: A Philatelic Historical Journey, Section 10, pages 10-43, 2020, Feasts, Holy Years, Eucharistic Congresses Vatican Philatelic Society website, www.vaticanstamps.org, Stamp Database Search