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 Special Postmark for the Stamp Honoring the 500th anniversary of the birth of Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina Do we know if Pope Leo is a stamp collector? Whether he is or not, he recently gave Vatican philately a boost when he attended a presentation by the Bartolucci Foundation which featured the new stamp honoring the 500th anniversary of the birth of Italian composer Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina. The ceremony took place on June 18 in the Sala Regia of the Apostolic Palace. In addition to the new stamp, issued on May 27, a CD featuring the Bartolucci Foundation Choir, performing works by Palestrina, was part of the philatelic release. After words from Pope Leo, Sr. Raffaella Petrini, President of the Governorate of the Vatican City State (which oversees the Postal and Philately Service of the Directorate of Telecommunications and Information Systems), unveiled a large post card which had an enlarged image of the new stamp. Pope Leo XIV signed the postcard and received a copy of the CD as a gift. By clicking on the reference below, photos from the event can be viewed. In his remarks, Pope Leo stated that Palestrina was: “in the history of the Church, one of the composers who contributed most to the promotion of sacred music”, for “the glory of God and the sanctification and edification of the faithful.”So, whether he collects stamps or not, the pope has focused some attention on Vatican City philately. As the saying goes, all publicity is good publicity, and hopefully he has inspired some new collectors to learn more about our hobby and our special interest in the Vatican. And perhaps he gave Sister Raffaella a little nudge to get things moving at CFN so we can buy the new stamps! REFERENCE: |
