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<center>PAPAL TRAVEL SCHEDULES ANNOUNCED</center>
 
The schedules for the upcoming Apostolic Journeys for Pope Leo XIV both internationally and within the country of Italy have been announced over the last two weeks.
 
On February 25, the Director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, released the following destinations and dates for the pope’s international trips this spring:
 
<li>Monaco: a one-day visit on March 28 
<li>Africa: a ten-day trip to the countries of Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea from April 13 through April 23 
<li>Spain: a six-day voyage from June 6 to 12, with anticipated stops in Barcelona, Madrid and the Canary Islands.
 
In addition, on February 19, the Press Office announced Pope Leo XIV will make a series of visits within Italy during the spring and summer, including the following stops on the peninsula:
 
<li>Naples and Pompeii: May 8 (the first anniversary of the pope’s election) 
<li>Acerra: May 23 
<li>Pavia: June 20 
<li>Lampuseda: July 4 
<li>Assisi: August 6 
<li>Rimini: August 22
 
The two articles below from the Holy See website provide additional details regarding the pope’s Apostolic Journeys:
 
<li>February 19, 2026, <a href='https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2026/02/19/260219d.html'>Pastoral Visits of Pope Leo XIV planned in Italy, 19.02.2026</a> 
<li>February 26, 2026, <a href='https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2026/02/25/260225b.html'>Declaration of the Director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, 25.02.2026</a>
 
			 			 			 			 <center>CFN...MORE WORK TO DO</center>
 
Over the last couple of weeks, there has been good news on the CFN front, as VPS members have reported receiving orders placed in a more timely manner than in the recent past. Given this new-found optimism, the February 26 release of the first quarter issues for 2026 was much anticipated. But...
 
A search of the CFN website this past Thursday revealed no new stamps. And, as of yesterday (Sunday, March 1), the stamps were still not available for purchase on the CFN website, and neither is the 2025 Philatelic Yearbook (which is featured on the website as "coming soon").
 
At the Vatican, the Post Office fared only slightly better. A contact in Rome reported that only four of the six new issues were available at either the Vatican Central Post Office or the "satellite" office in Saint Peter's Square--the Easter stamp and the "Pontificate of Pope Leo XIV Year One" four-stamp set were not available.
 
For some time, members of VPS have been in contact with CFN and the Vatican Post Office in an attempt to improve service. Those efforts continue. One area where improvement is definitely needed is the ability of dealers to obtain sufficient stock to service their customers. There has reportedly been some movement in this area (with CFN at least acknowledging the problem), but time will tell when things return to what would be considered normal.
 
Stay tuned.
 
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