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  <img src="http://vaticanstamps.org/VPS/images/letterlogo.jpg" alt="Logo" height="150">    
  <h1 class='Shead1'>Vatican Stamp Notes</h1>
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<center>
  <h2 class='Shead'>Rest in Peace<br>Pope Francis</h2><br>
      Lou Giorgetti<br><br></center>

<center>
<img height='250' src='http://vaticanstamps.org/VPS/images/296/1137.jpg'>
<img height='250' src='http://vaticanstamps.org/VPS/images/296/1850.jpg'>
<img height='250' src='http://vaticanstamps.org/VPS/images/296/1139.jpg'><br>
<b>Left:  Saint Peter's Basilica (Scott 1137, 2000)<br>
Center:  Pope Francis Praying at Saint Mary Major in 2013 (Scott 1850, 2024)<br>
Right:  Basilica of Saint Mary Major (Scott 1139, 2000)</b></center>
<br><br>
The funeral Mass for the late Pope Francis was celebrated in Saint Peter’s Square on Saturday, April 26.  An estimated quarter of a million people filled the Square to pay their last respects, including the heads of state and delegations from over 100 countries from around the world.  The Mass was celebrated by the Dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re.
<br><br>
At the conclusion of the funeral, the casket containing the mortal remains of the pope was taken to the Basilica of Saint Mary Major for interment.  His tomb is located near the Altar of Saint Francis, in the niche of the side nave between the Pauline Chapel (the location of the iconic Salus Populi Romani) and the Sforza Chapel.
<br><br>
The tomb of Pope Francis is a simple one, made from marble from the region of Liguria in northwest Italy.  It is from this region, specifically from the small town of Cogorno (located about 30 kilometers southeast of Genoa), that the pope’s ancestors emigrated from Italy to Argentina in the 1800s.  The simple tomb bears the inscription “Franciscus”, and also features a reproduction of Pope Francis’s pectoral cross.  A photo of the tomb can be seen by clicking on the Vatican News article in the Reference section.
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<b>REFERENCE:</b><br>
<li>Edoardo Giribaldi, VaticanNews.va, <a href='https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2025-04/popes-tomb-reads-franciscus.html'>Pope’s tomb made of marble from the land of his Italian grandparents</a><br>
<li>Vatican Philatelic Society website, www.vaticanstamps.org, Stamp Database Search
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<center>
  <h2 class='Shead'>Divine Mercy Sunday</h2><br>
      Lou Giorgetti<br><br></center>

<center>
<img height='225' src='http://vaticanstamps.org/VPS/images/296/1471.jpg'>
<img height='225' src='http://vaticanstamps.org/VPS/images/296/1559.jpg'><br>
<b>Events Occurring on Divine Mercy Sunday:<br>
Beatification of Pope John Paul II (Scott 1471, 2011)<br>
Canonization of Pope John Paul II (Scott 1559, 2014)</b></center>
<br>
The Second Sunday of Easter (the Sunday following Easter Sunday) is celebrated as Divine Mercy Sunday, or the Feast of the Divine Mercy.  This day also concludes the Octave of Easter.  The Catholic devotion to the Divine Mercy started with Saint Faustina Kowalska, a Polish nun and mystic, who reported visions and visitations from Jesus in the early 1900’s.  In His conversations, He asked Sister Faustina to paint “the vision of his merciful divinity being poured from his Sacred Heart”.  Here is the first such presentation, a painting now located in the Divine Mercy Sanctuary in Vilnius, Lithuania:
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			    			    			    			    			    			    			    <center>
<img height='325' src='https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/Kazimirowski_Eugeniusz%2C_Divine_Mercy%2C_1934.jpg'><br>
<b>“Divine Mercy”<br>
Painting by Eugeniusz Kazimirowski (1934)<br>
From Wikipedia, in the Public Domain</b></center>
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In addition, He also asked that a Feast of Divine Mercy be established on the first Sunday after Easter.
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Pope John Paul II actively promoted this cause.  On April 30, 2000, the Second Sunday of Easter that year, he canonized Saint Faustina Kowalska, and the Second Sunday of Easter was officially designated as the Sunday of the Divine Mercy.  One year later, Pope John Paul II stated:
<blockquote>
<i>”Jesus said to Sr Faustina one day: ‘Humanity will never find peace until it turns with trust to Divine Mercy’. Divine Mercy! This is the Easter gift that the Church receives from the risen Christ and offers to humanity.”</i>
</blockquote>
The ties of Pope John Paul II to Divine Mercy Sunday are striking.  He died on Saturday, April 2, 2005, which was the vigil of Divine Mercy Sunday (April 3, 2005).  He would be beatified on Divine Mercy Sunday, May 1, 2011 (by Pope Benedict XVI) and canonized on Divine Mercy Sunday, April 27, 2014 (by Pope Francis).
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<center><b>CANONIZATION OF BLESSED CARLO ACUTIS</b></center>
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			    			    			    			    			    			    			    <center>
<img height='325' src='https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c8/Carlo_Acutis_%28born_1991%29.jpg'><br>
<b>Blessed Carl Acutis<br>
Unknown Photographer<br>
From Wikipedia<br>
Qualifies as fair use under<br>
United States copyright law</b></center>
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This year, Divine Mercy Sunday has also been designated as the "Jubilee of Adolescents" for the Holy Year 2025.  It was also planned to be the day for the canonization of Blessed Carlo Acutis.  However, with the death of Pope Francis, the canonization has been postponed.  The new celebration date has not been determined.
<br><br>
Blessed Carlo Acutis died of leukemia at age 15 in 2016.  He has inspired many with his faith and his wide-spread evangelization, particularly among young people.  He created a website which cataloged Eucharistic miracles, furthering his mission and reach.  When the day finally arrives for his canonization, he will become the first “millennial saint”, having been born in 2001.
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Vatican City has planned a stamp to be issued to commemorate the canonization, with the stamp being issued jointly with the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.  The official announcement for the 1.30-euro stamp is given in the references, but its image is currently not available.
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<b>REFERENCES:</b><br>
<li>Wikipedia, <a href='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divine_Mercy_Sunday'>Divine Mercy Sunday</a><br>
<li>Wikipedia, <a href='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faustina_Kowalska'>Faustina Kowalska</a><br>
<li>VaticanState.va, <a href='https://www.vaticanstate.va/en/news/1721-joint-philatelic-issue-between-the-vatican-city-state-and-the-sovereign-military-order-of-malta.html'>A postage stamp to celebrate the canonization of Carlo Acutis</a><br>
<li>Vatican Philatelic Society website, www.vaticanstamps.org, Stamp Database Search
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